Batgirl of the Future: Last Resort
by Watership's Nightwish Rat
Summary: Nearly a year after first becoming Batgirl, Coba Brooklyn is still struggling with fully growing into her role to protect Gotham City. A mysterious visitor shows up at Wayne Manor one night with a startling secret about Coba's heritage, sending Coba on a quest to overcome her own fears that will determine if she will be able to take on the newest threat to Gotham...
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes:**

**Here it is, folks: my fifth full-length BOTF story (though it takes place between "Eyewitness of the Past" and "The Call")! This one was quick to come up with a plot for, but the plot was not really the easiest one to think of. I will explain the inspiration for this story at a later date.**

**Big ups to those who have been following these _Batgirl of the Future_ story arcs, whether you've been following them since the first one was posted or if you're a newbie, or even somewhere in between. Many thanks to you guys and girls!**

**Recommended order of reading (although it's not really necessary to follow in it):**

**1. Rebirth**

**2. Running Out of Inque**

**3. Remember**

**4. Eyewitness of the Past**

**5. Last Resort**

**6. The Call**

**Without further ado, here it is! Please read, review, and enjoy...**

* * *

Several police vehicles chased after a large, armored hover craft, which was moving faster than its pursuers. The drivers of the different vehicles did not seem to notice the Batmobile as they passed it. "Somebody's in a hurry," Batman noted aloud.

"No kidding," Batgirl stated from the seat behind him. "I haven't seen anything like this in almost a year!"

"I have," Batman said solemnly.

"Ter—Batman, who's in such a big hurry?" a female voice asked through the com-link.

"Going to find out, Max," Terry answered. He turned to Batgirl. "Hang on, sis: I'm going—"

"—to go at high speed to chase it," Batgirl finished for him with a small, grim smirk.

"Right," Batman said, a little irritated. "You think you can ever go a night without finishing someone else's sentence?"

The abnormally small, teenage girl shrugged, still grinning. "If I try hard enough, I guess, which I don't want to do right now. I'd rather catch this guy right now."

"Couldn't agree more," Batman atoned. He pulled the Batmobile further up into the air in hopes of catching sight of the renegade vehicle once more.

"There it is, I see it!" Coba said urgently, pointing.

Terry looked where Coba was pointing and, sure enough, there was the vehicle, recklessly maneuvering each police vehicle. He steered the Batmobile so it flew directly above the vehicle. He released some grappling hooks from the Batmobile, causing the hooks to go straight through the roof of the other vehicle. "This'll slow him down," he murmured, pulling up to try to stall the hover craft.

Despite the young man's efforts, the vehicle kept zipping through the city, trying to shake the Batmobile loose. Batgirl was the first to notice a building up ahead. _We're going to hit it!_ she thought frantically.

Without fully noticing it, a strange calm suddenly washed over her. She stood up and opened the door. "Try to keep the lines straight," she said urgently. Without waiting to hear another word, the girl hopped out of the vehicle and moved towards the lines.

"Batgirl, no!" Batman yelled after her, though struggling to do as she said. "Get back here!"

"What is she doing?!" Max's voice asked anxiously. "Co—Batgirl, stop whatever you're doing! You're scaring your brother!"

The voices of Terry and Max were blocked from Coba's mind as she quickly jumped down onto a cable. Shifting her weight accurately, she slightly twisted her body as she slid down the cable. Upon landing on the roof of the other vehicle, she slammed a device on it. The vehicle immediately began to lose power, causing it to slope downward. Coba immediately shot a grappling hook at the Batmobile, miraculously wrapping it around one of the front parts of the bumper. She set the grappling mechanism so it pulled her up just as she began to slide downward.

Batman was now able to move the vehicle without it fighting him. He pulled up just in the nick of time upon seeing the building Coba had spotted before making her move. The other vehicle just barely missed hitting the building. Terry lowered it to the ground as Coba came back up, getting herself back into the Batmobile. He unhooked the grappling lines from the Batmobile and pulled up higher into the air before turning to his sister. "What were you thinking, sis?!" he demanded to know. "You could've gotten yourself killed!"

"I'm not sure, but can we discuss this later?" Coba requested curtly. "We've got a job to do!"

Terry wanted answers, but his half-sister's sudden hostile behavior made him stop from trying to press her further. "Fine," he said bluntly.

"Who was in such a big hurry?" Max asked again.

McGinnis steered the Batmobile around to the front of the vehicle to see what was going on. The police had already surrounded it, and a few officers already walked into it to detain the driver. Just a second later the officers came back out, herding a young man out of it. Batman and Batgirl's eyes grew wide. "Sean Miller," Batman gasped in shock.

"_Sean Miller_?" Max asked, surprised and yet a bit confused.

"Yeah," Terry said quietly, his tone grim, "from our history class."

The young man being arrested bore a sinister grin. After a brief moment, he began to laugh maniacally. Coba suddenly shuddered in horror at the sound. Terry noticed his half-sister's discomfort. "I'm sorry, sis," he said apologetically. "I didn't mean for you to make an enemy of him."

Coba shook her head. "That's not why I'm scared like this, Batman," she explained in an tense, quiet voice. "I saw this happen in a nightmare last night. It's just the beginning of something big."

Terry could only blink in surprise. _Usually when she has nightmares that are brought up later, she's more composed than this when they're mentioned_, he thought. _Whatever's going on now must have her really spooked._

* * *

**What exactly does Coba mean by this being "the beginning of something big"? Why is she so uncomfortable about this, more so than she had been with past nightmares even? How was she able to glide down that grappling line so well? These questions and more will be answered as the story progresses.**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 1: A Briefing and a Nightmare

Coba and Terry returned to the Batcave less than twenty minutes later. Bruce Wayne, Aaron Herbst (Ditto), Dick Grayson (wearing his Nightwing suit, though unmasked), and Dana Tan (wearing her newly upgraded Batwoman suit, unmasked as well) were already waiting for them by the big Batcomputer. The half-siblings got out of the Batmobile and removed their masks as they walked towards their companions. Dana ran to them and hugged them. "I'm glad you're both alright!" she said gratefully in a quiet voice.

Terry grinned back at his girlfriend as he returned the hug. "Of course we're okay," he said reassuringly. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"Because of what I did earlier," Coba solemnly answered for the girl. "Which is also why everyone's gathered down here like this."

Dana was surprised. "Wait a minute, it is?"

"I'm afraid so, Miss Tan," Bruce replied sagely. He looked over at his young ward. "Coba, come here," he ordered.

Although she hated being singled out like this, Coba obeyed her legal guardian's command at a moderate pace. She knew better than to try to lighten the mood with a joke or a smile—as such an attempt at this point would make matters worse for her—although she did not feel like doing so anyway. All she felt was shame for making her companions so concerned. Coba finally came to a stop in front of Wayne and looked up into his eyes solemnly, waiting for him to say something.

"What were you thinking out there?" Bruce asked sternly. "You could have been killed, and put your brother's life in danger! To top it off, not one of us here could have saved you: Dick was in Blüdhaven; Dana and Herbst were on the opposite side of the city; and there was no way for me to get out and act on time."

"I don't recall thinking about it at all," Coba confessed, tense at Bruce's harsh tone. "I'm sorry for causing so much concern. As for putting Terry's life in danger, both our lives were already at risk."

Bruce was about to scold her more, but Dick placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. His light blue eye met Bruce's light blue ones, then shifted to Coba's cobalt eyes. "Mind explaining what you mean by that, kid?" the one-eyed man inquired in a gentle yet authoritative voice.

Brooklyn relaxed a little bit at the other man's tone. "Miller kept thrashing that vehicle around," she explained, "and something told me that we'd hit a building up ahead. It's hard for me to describe what happened next: it's all a blur. I can't even tell if it was a rush of adrenaline or second nature."

"When you saw Sean, you started saying something about it being the beginning," Terry jumped in. "What did you mean by that? The beginning of what?"

Coba thought hard for a moment, her anxiety rising as she drew up a blank. "I-I don't remember," she stammered.

Aaron turned to Terry. "Batman, did you happen to film the entire chase from the Batmobile?" he asked curiously.

Terry nodded. "The camera is always recording footage when it's on. Why do you ask?"

Instead of directly answering the teenage Batman, Aaron looked at Coba. "Do you think watching it might jog your memory?"

After a brief moment of silently thinking it over, Coba nodded. "It might. Let's give it a try."

Ditto looked at Bruce, smiling with confidence. "Got anything to say about my idea? Genius, isn't it?"

Bruce did not even look at Aaron as he sat down and began downloading the video files from the Batmobile's camera. "I'll tell you what I think about it when we've tried it," he said gruffly.

"Geezer," Aaron muttered.

Wayne turned his head abruptly. "What was that?" he snapped.

"Nothing!" Aaron exclaimed, throwing his hands up innocently. Dana and Terry struggled hard not to laugh, but to no avail. Coba and Grayson, however, were not amused.

Deciding to ignore Herbst for the moment, the first Batman looked at the screen once more as he fast-forwarded through the footage to the scene of the chase. All eyes were on the screen while the vehicle driven by Miller whipped through the streets. Once the grappling hooks had gripped the roof, it was Grayson who pointed out: "That's the building right up ahead, isn't it?"

"It is," Terry answered with a nod, a bit surprised. "How the heck did you notice it so quick?"

"My eye was open for anything unusual," came Dick's reply. "And I can only guess that Coba's eyes were open for it as well—whoa!" he suddenly breathed.

All of the heroes, including Coba, stared at the screen in shock as the video Coba slid down the grappling line with strangely strong expertise. "How often have you practiced that?" Dick could not help but ask after the video Batgirl grappled back to the Batmobile. "You nailed it brilliantly!"

"I-I've never done it before," Coba answered.

"But how did you know what to do?"

Coba looked at him, her eyes wide with shock. "That dream I had last night included an exact description of how to do it. When I slid down that line, my mind replayed the instructions: instructions told to me by a female voice I have never heard, seen or met before." She looked down shamefully. "I'm sorry I scared you all with my actions."

Nightwing placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Your actions are why you and Terry are still alive," he said gently. "That's all that really matters, now."

"Just try to be more careful in the future," Dana added.

Brooklyn nodded in acknowledgment, but said nothing.

"Well, I'd best be heading home now," Dana said after a few long moments of silence. "My parents are probably still waiting up for me." She gave Terry a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow at school." She turned around at that moment and left the cave, shooting a smile back at her companions as she did so.

"I'd better get going, too," Aaron announced almost a minute later. "There may be hardly anything to do at my apartment, but I would like to catch up on my sleep."

"Go ahead," Bruce stated with mock severity. "I won't stop you."

Aaron was surprised. "Really? You're not going to argue with me like you usually do?"

Bruce looked at him, a small grin on his face. "Your idea of showing the video to Coba mostly worked," he said. "You normally don't have any good ideas, but you did this time. You deserve a rest."

Herbst raised an eyebrow. "Were you just calling me stupid?" he asked, a bit offended.

"Only sometimes," Wayne admitted. "Better get going before I change my mind."

Without another word, Ditto immediately left the cave. Bruce turned his attention to the computer and shut off the video footage. He switched it over to the television station.

_"An out of control child,"_ a male voice said from the speakers as the screen displayed footage of Sean laughing, causing Coba to look up in alarm, _"every parent's worst nightmare."_ A man walked onto the screen before speaking again. _"I'm Doctor David Wheeler, child psychologist. With the tough new parental liability laws now in effect, mothers and fathers can no longer afford to ignore their children's problems. Are they staying out too late? Ignoring their schoolwork? Or are they involved in something worse? Whatever the problem is, I can help. At my ranch only minutes from Gotham City, I offer the very finest long-term therapy for adolescents. Yes, it_ is _expensive, but think about the alternative."_

Dick was noticeably disgusted with the commercial. "That's the third time it's aired this evening since Miller's arrest," he said irritably. "Like _that's_ going to really help parents feel better. All scaring them is going to do is get them to not show some trust in their kids if they make the smallest mistake and make the immediate decision of sending them to Wheeler. If you ask me, this man's a fake. What do you think, Coba?" he asked, glancing at Coba. The sight of the girl staring at the screen in horror sent a wave of concern washing over him. "You okay?" he asked concernedly, the anger in his voice gone.

"That man," Coba said quietly as Bruce turned off the screen. "He-he's the one in charge of it!"

"In charge of what?" Terry asked, confused.

"The nightmare," Batgirl replied anxiously. "I recognized his voice from my dream." She thought for a moment. "I think his ranch has everything to do with what's going to happen soon."

"Do you know what he said, if anything?" Bruce inquired.

Coba nodded, trying to calm herself back down. "He said 'Do away with them both.' I don't recall who he was talking about, though."

No one spoke for a few minutes. "I'd better get back on patrol," Terry said at last.

Bruce looked at his apprentice in surprise. "Usually I'm the one who tells you when to go back out there," he noted.

"Well, with what Coba says about this whole 'nightmare' thing, I think more patrol time might not be a bad idea," McGinnis stated. "You coming, sis?"

The girl shook her head. "I'd better sit this one out," she answered. "With my anxiety now and the high risk of acting recklessly again, I could get us both killed. Good luck out there."

Terry nodded. "Okay. See ya, Coba." He pulled his mask back on and walked towards the Batmobile before getting into the vehicle. Bruce, Coba, and Grayson watched as the Batmobile flew out of the cave.

Nightwing looked at his companions. "I'll get going, too," he informed them. "You both know where to find me if you need me at all."

"Alright," Wayne said sagely with a nod. "Take care."

"I will." Dick turned and walked out of the cave.

Coba unsuccessfully stifled a yawn. "I'd better go to bed," she told Bruce. "I'm more done in than I thought I was." She started to turn to leave.

"In a minute, Coba," Bruce said quickly, stopping her. "There's something I need to discuss with you."

Batgirl looked at the old warrior questioningly. "What might that be?" she inquired.

Bruce looked at her sagely. "We've never discussed who your other family members are."

"That's because I don't know who my family members are aside from you, Terry, Mom and Dad." Coba looked at Wayne in confusion. "You're not thinking of sending me away, are you? Have I been misbehaving that much?"

"No, it's not that at all. In fact, you're well-behaved, almost more so than the Robins. I was just thinking that it might be helpful to know if there's ever an emergency where you're not able to be here, like when you had your foot broken. We were fortunate to have Mrs. McGinnis set her prejudices against you aside and let you stay a few times, but it was hectic trying to find another place."

Coba nodded in understanding. "I know. Mrs. McGinnis might be willing to do it again, but it'll be a good idea to find someone else." She thought for a moment. "I know you have a DNA lab in here. Will you need a sample of my DNA to do find out who I'm related to?"

The first Batman nodded. "Yes, but we'll worry about that in the morning. That is, if you're willing to go with it." He paused, suddenly realizing something. "Now that I think about it, looking into this may bring up some of your feelings towards them long ago, if any. Or even of your mother."

Brooklyn's gaze averted to the floor at the mention of her mother. "You may be right," she said quietly. "But then again, it may be helpful to know." She looked back up at Bruce. "I'm willing to find out," she told him sagely.

"Alright, kid," Bruce said solemnly. "You may go to bed, now. We'll do the test in the morning."

"Okay. Good night, Bruce," said Coba, grinning a little.

"Good night, Coba." Bruce watched his young apprentice as she left the cave. _I hope I'm doing her a favor by going through with this_, he thought. _I don't know what to do if she gets hurt by it in some way. _

~!~

Coba lay down in her bed at eleven-thirty, about twenty minutes after her talk with Bruce. She had changed from her Batsuit to her light blue flannel pajamas; fed Ace, the dog, and Ed, the rat; got all ready for bed; and finally turned on the reading lamp by her bed before turning off her bedroom's main light. The girl was about to pull the covers over herself a split second before Ace and Ed came in from eating in the kitchen. Upon seeing her in bed, the rat silently climbed up into his cage right next to Coba's bed and gently shut and secured the cage door behind him while the dog quietly lay down at the foot of the bed. Coba smiled at each of them gratefully. _At least they now know not to try to talk to me when I'm trying to get to sleep_, she thought. She pulled her blankets over her shoulders and settled into the bed and pillow, falling almost instantly into a deep sleep.

Unfortunately for her, a nightmare instantly plagued her mind.

_A strange, human figure with emerald green eyes faded in from the darkness of Coba's dream. She gasped as she recognized the person. _Mom_, she thought, a pang of sorrow in her heart. The figure grinned warmly at her in confirmation. Suddenly, the figure seemed to age noticeably, the smile turning into a disappointed frown and the long black hair turning short and gray. Coba took a step back in alarm. Before she knew it, the person was no longer her mother, though she still had Natalie's eyes. _

_Without warning the woman smacked Coba across her face. "Failure!" the newcomer's voice yelled. "You let my daughter die!" _

_"No, it was an accident!" the girl heard herself plead. "I didn't mean for it to happen!"_

_"Liar!" the figure proclaimed, striking her again. _

_The newest slap caused Coba to hit the ground. She looked up in sorrow and terror as the figure was about to throw herself on her. However, another person intervened just in the nick of time, stepping between Coba and her attacker and managing to push the woman back. The newcomer suddenly grunted painfully and placed a hand over their heart. Brooklyn was horrified as it occured to her who her protector was. "Bruce!" she shouted, worried for his well-being._

_Bruce weakly looked at her. "Coba, wake up!" he said as steadily as he could. His voice gained stability and volume. "Wake up!" The woman tried to push Bruce aside, but he still managed to keep her away from Coba. "Please!"_

Coba woke up with a startled gasp. She opened her eyes almost immediately, but only darkness greeted her vision. After a few seconds she could barely make out a silhouette sitting on her bed. Panic overwhelmed her as she tried to reach over to her reading lamp, but her reach kept falling short. Her lamp turned on, but it was not her hand that made it do so. She looked from the hand to the person attached, instantly more relieved, though not completely. "Bruce!" she cried out, her voice still tight with terror.

Wayne looked into her eyes reassuringly, though the dark circles under his eyes told Coba that she had woken him up. "Sorry," she said sheepishly.

"Don't be," Bruce said sagely. "I'm supposed to be up at this time anyway to talk with your brother. Was it Wheeler again?"

Batgirl shook her head. "No, it wasn't him at all. It was someone else who had eyes like my mother's, emerald green. She was older, though, maybe about your age. I don't know who she was, though."

"Did she say anything?" Bruce asked curiously.

"She called me a failure and claimed that I let her daughter die."

"Have you heard the voice before?"

Coba thought for a moment, then nodded solemnly. "Yes. She was the same one who told me how to go down that grappling line without falling."

Bruce became concerned. "Do you think your dream is warning us not to see who you're related to?"

"I-I don't know, really," Coba stammered uncomfortably. "I don't want to talk about it right now, please."

"Alright, we'll leave the matter alone for now." Neither of them spoke for several moments. Wayne finally stood up, using his cane to aid him in doing so. "Try to get some sleep," he said at last. "I'll be in the cave if you need me."

"Okay," Coba said quietly. She waited until Bruce was out of the room before trying to relax again. To her relief, she immediately fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Who exactly was that woman in Coba's nightmare? What is it that Wheeler is up to? Why is Coba so terrified about both people? These questions and more will be answered in the future, as well as the identities of Coba's grandparents.**

_**Say**** what?**_

**That's right: I'm revealing the identities of Coba's grandparents. In every chapter until the big reveal later on, I'll be asking this question: Who do you think they are? If you would like to, you may leave your answers in a review below. It might even help me out as well if you did: it's the first time I've really started writing an actual mystery that people don't automatically know what's going to happen because they've seen the episode the story's based off of, so I would like to know how well I'm keeping it a mystery.**

**Also, since it wasn't exactly delved into in the episode, I'll be toying with an idea of exactly what Wheeler was up to and why he was doing it.**

_**Another mystery? Woo-hoo!**_

**Yep, that's exactly what I was thinking. On that note, please feel free to leave a review below. You don't have to if you don't want to, though it would be greatly appreciated if you did.**


	3. Chapter 2: The Nightmare Begins

It was almost eight in the morning when Coba finally woke up. Ed was already looking at the empty food dish in his cage expectantly. "_You know what time it is_," he said in rat. "_I'd get the food myself, but I don't know where you keep the stash of it._"

"_And for a good reason_," Coba teased in her pet's language. "_You'd eat until you were too fat to move! Give me a moment to wake up, then I'll feed you._"

After feeding Ed and Ace and getting dressed into her normal clothes—a turquoise T-shirt, long black pants, and black knee-high socks (the one on her right leg up to her knee to protect her leg from rubbing up against her metal brace, the one on the left folded down to her ankle)—she walked down into the Batcave. She noticed the first Batman was sitting in the computer chair, talking to someone via com-link, and stopped at the bottom of the stairs. _It can't be Terry he's talking to_, she thought. _He's in class right now—or at least he's _supposed_ to be. Plus, Bruce doesn't really talk to him quite like that. It's probably Grayson, Herbst or Gordon._ It was then that her abnormally sharp hearing picked up the voice on the other end of the line. _It's Grayson. But what are he and Bruce talking about?_

"Thanks, Dick," Bruce said gratefully. He turned off the com-link before turning to face Coba. "Good morning, Coba," he greeted.

Coba managed a grin as she walked towards him. "Guess I still need to work on my stealth skills, huh?"

"Guess you do," Bruce said, a small smile on his lips. His grin faded almost immediately. "Do you want to go through with the blood test?"

"Yes. What were you and Grayson talking about?" Brooklyn inquired, coming to a stop by the computer chair.

Wayne became even more grim. "I just asked Grayson if he'd be willing to take care of you if anything happens between now and the time we get results back from your blood test—if it were to take place, that is. It took some convincing, but he agreed to."

Coba quirked an eyebrow at her legal guardian. "Not that I don't trust him, but you _do_ know it's improper for a grown man to be alone with a younger girl unless they're related, right?"

Bruce could not help but laugh a little. "That's exactly what he pointed out." His seriousness returned. "But he's the best choice we have aside from Mrs. McGinnis: we know Herbst's back story too well; Dana's place, according to her, has too many obstacles if you're injured; Drake will want nothing to do with it, even though he holds a lot of respect for you; and Gordon and her husband are always at work, which would leave you by yourself and vulnerable." He noticed a somewhat irritated flash of indignation in Coba's eyes. "Not that you don't know how to defend yourself," he added quickly. "Do you understand what I'm saying, though?"

The girl thought it over briefly, then relaxed a little. "Yes, I understand," she said quietly. "I think you may be right about having me stay with Grayson if it comes down to it."

Without saying another word about the subject, Bruce reached into a cabinet below the computer and pulled out a small toolbox. He opened it up and pulled out a syringe. "Extend your arm," he instructed.

"You're lucky I've gotten used to having needles poked into me," Coba said with a grim grin, doing as he said. "Otherwise I'd be screaming in terror or be ready to pummel ya right now."

"You're lucky too, now that you bring that up," Bruce said with a smirk. "Otherwise I'd have to knock you out." He put the needle into Coba's vein, then drew out a few ounces of blood. He pulled out some gauze from the toolbox, placed a cotton ball on the spot he put the needle in, gently pulled the needle from out of Coba's arm, then tightly covered the cotton with the gauze. "Leave those on for twenty minutes," he directed. "It'll—"

"—stop the bleeding," Coba gently finished. "What are you going to do with my blood?"

"Put a sample of it on a slide, then have the computer scan it," Bruce replied. "I'll take care of it. You are free to do whatever—except illegal activities, that is," he added teasingly.

Coba grinned. "Okay. Thanks, Bruce. When will the results get back?"

"We'll get the full results tomorrow or the next day," Bruce replied grimly. "Not as fast as I want it to be, but it's faster than other clinics."

Brooklyn nodded. "That it is." She paused for a moment. "Once this band is ready to come off, would it be alright if I went to the high school?"

Bruce quirked an eyebrow. "You've already graduated from there, and college isn't until three weeks from now. Why do you want to go?"

"I promised Max, Terry, Dana and Chelsea that I would visit there sometime this week," Coba explained. "For some reason, I feel that today's the only day I'll be able to see Chelsea. I know you're not that impressed about her, but she's still a friend of mine."

Wayne was silent for several moments, thinking it over. "Alright," he said at last. "Be careful out there when you go."

"I always am careful anyway, but I still will be. Thanks," Coba said gratefully.

"Don't mention it." There was a glint in his eyes that affirmed what he said. _Seriously._

~!~

It was two hours later when Coba arrived at the school by foot. She checked into the office, was warmly greeted by the school's secretary, and was given a volunteer pass after filling out some paperwork. "Enjoy your stay, Miss Brooklyn," the woman stated, smiling. "It's good to see you again."

Coba nodded and grinned back. "It's good to see you again, too." She easily located the classroom her half-brother, Dana and Chelsea were in and went down the hall towards it. Upon entering the classroom, she stood by the door silently until the teacher nodded in her direction in acknowledgment before silently seating herself in the same row as Terry and Dana, which was one row above Chelsea Cunningham.

"It's getting to be a ghost town in here," Dana said quietly, glancing around the room.

"I remember this class was always full when I was still coming here," Coba murmured. "There's only eight students here."

"The number of kids in this class lowered since you were here last, but not by this much," Tan explained to her younger friend.

"Cold and flu season, maybe?" Terry suggested.

Chelsea turned in her seat and looked at Terry, Dana and Coba. "More like Doctor Wheeler and that ranch of his."

Terry snorted. "All of this? Come on, Chelsea."

"Come on yourself," Chelsea retorted, standing up. "The parents are scared. They're sending their kids off to therapy by the bus load as if they needed it."

"Sean needed it," Dana pointed out. "Lots and lots of it."

"Yeah, but what about Alexa and Jamal, and Adam?" Chelsea inquired.

Dana was surprised. "Adam got sent away? But he makes those beautiful paintings!"

"Except he sometimes uses other people's walls," Coba stated grimly. "I remember seeing it on the news one time."

"Well," Tan said with a sigh, "I guess if the kids' parents want them to get therapy, it's not like we can do anything."

Chelsea flexed her fingers as she sat down and turned in her chair. "Speak for yourself. I'm going to email the principal, rattle his cage."

"Careful, Chels," Terry cautioned.

"This email could get you into trouble," Coba added. "And worse, it might even get you a one-way ticket to that ranch."

"Relax," Cunningham said dismissively, beginning to type away at her laptop. "This'll be like a note to the editor. My dad writes them all the time. Plus, Coba," she added, her voice dripping with disdain, "what do _you_ know about getting into trouble? You never got on the teachers' nerves enough to get yelled at."

Coba bit back a sharp retort. _You'd be surprised with how much I know about getting into trouble, Chels_, she thought grimly, _although it's not the trouble you're talking about. Nor is it the trouble you're about to get into, for that matter._

~!~

The next day, Coba visited the school again, this time with permission from the school to bring Ed, who had been begging to go all morning until Coba finally gave in. She was nervous about Dana seeing him at first, recalling that Dana had been held captive by a young man and some large sewer rats, but the older teen immediately took a liking to Ed since he did not try to crawl on her or snarl at her. "I doubt Chelsea will be okay with Ed being around, though," Terry noted.

"Chelsea isn't coming, Terry," Coba said gravely. "Her dad sent her to the ranch."

"How do you know?" Max could not help but ask.

"She's been having nightmares," Terry explained solemnly. "I guess she had one last night as well."

"Which I did," Brooklyn said grimly. "Two of them rolled into one, even."

Sure enough, at lunch time, there had been no sight of the blonde-haired girl. Max looked around the room. "Wow, no Chelsea. You were right, Coba."

"_Of course she was right!_" Ed squeaked with rage in his own language. "_She's a blippin' psychic!_"

Coba lightly cuffed Ed behind the ear, warning him to stop. Ed stopped squeaking loudly, though he shot an indignant glare at Coba. "_It's n__ot like they understand me, anyway!_" he snorted.

"I guess sending that email was the final straw," Terry said grimly, disregarding the rat's outburst. "I knew her dad had issues with her, but I didn't think..." He trailed off, not wanting to mention what he thought.

"He probably figured the ranch would straighten her out," Max stated gravely.

"Straighten her out?!" Dana exclaimed, obviously peeved. "How could anyone think that Chelsea deserves to be in the same place as someone like Sean?"

Max sat upright "I have another one for you: what kind of place would admit a normal kid like Chelsea? Makes you wonder, doesn't it?"

"You're right," Tan said quietly. "Someone should look into that ranch, whether it's the cops or one of us."

"Looks like Coba already has," Max stated with a small smirk, gesturing to the youngest of the teens.

Terry shot a glare at Max before turning to his half-sister, who was staring off into space with her blue eyes wide open in horror. "Coba?" he said calmly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, wake up."

Coba shuddered a little as she blinked herself back into reality. "Huh, what?"

"You spaced off for the third time today," Terry explained. "Are you okay?"

Brooklyn nodded shamefully. "Sorry," she apologized. "I guess I'm just worried about Wheeler's plans succeeding before anything is done."

"Well, try not to think about it," he advised calmly. "You're not at the ranch."

"It's only a matter of time before the ranch expands until it's all around us, though," Coba said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Max asked curiously before anyone could stop her.

Coba lowered her voice to a whisper so only Max, Terry, Dana and Ed could hear. "The kids! They're doing something to the kids! Wheeler's promise of giving them therapy is a ruse. They're starting an army to tear this city apart!"

"Coba, quiet!" McGinnis hissed urgently, silencing Coba before she could continue. Her voice had been getting louder and louder with anxiety, drawing the attention of everyone else in the cafeteria. Once the others looked away and ignored them, Terry turned back to his sister. "Starting an army?" he inquired quietly. "With the _kids_?"

The girl nodded. "I'm afraid so. I don't know how he's doing it or how he plans to take over the city with them, but he is."

Terry thought it over for a moment. "How would you feel about paying a little visit over there tonight?" he asked.

"I-I don't know," Coba stammered.

"Why so uncertain?" Max inquired curiously.

"Lay off, Max!" Dana snapped. "Can't you see she's already worked up?"

"It's okay, Dana," Coba intervened, keeping her voice low. "I don't think I should go over there, even as... you know..." She trailed off.

"Wouldn't knowing exactly what's going on make you feel better?" Terry asked, confused.

Coba shook her head. "No, it wouldn't. It would only lead to a panic attack, and if I panicked while we were spying on them, our position would be given away. Thanks for trying to help, though."

The young Batman nodded sagely. "Any time, sis."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Yes, Ed has a bigger role in this story than he did in "Eyewitness of the Past," and even more so than "The Call" (in which he wasn't mentioned at all: my bad). You'll be seeing more of him throughout the story, though he's more of a minor character.**

**The identity of one of Coba's grandparents will be revealed in the next chapter!**

_**Yippee! I know who it is, too! It's**_**—**

**Hey! Keep your voice down! I will not tolerate spoil alert-ers!**

_**Sorry!**_

**Any-who, in the A/N of the previous chapter, I didn't really specify whether or not Coba's grandparents are well-known to the DC Universe or not. They _are_ well-known, but in the Marvel Universe!**

_**What?!**_

**Kidding! I was just messing with ya. They are very well-known in the DC Universe, primarily in the Batman comics and cartoons. Any guesses of who they are?**

**Just a head's up: it may take a while for future chapters for this story and my other ones to be posted. There are going to be some pretty lengthy chaps coming up for this story, and adding to the time it will take to get them done and posted are schoolwork, chores around the house, and curfews I set for myself to keep my parents from setting some for me. Oh, and work on other stories, whether I already posted a few chaps for them and am continuing to work on them and or am working on future fanfics (or my novel). So if I don't post right away, don't get discouraged: I'll get the chaps up eventually.**


	4. Chapter 3: The Visitor

Bruce picked up Coba from the school at the end of the day. Ed had crawled into her backpack, which Bruce had brought along for in case Coba had to change into her Batsuit on the way back to Wayne Manor, claiming to need sleep after a "long day of hard work and no play". _Can't say I blame him, either_, the teen thought, _although neither of us really _did_ do any work._

"How'd it go, kid?" Bruce asked after a few minutes.

_Well, at least he's trying to start conversations now, even though he normally does when he has something to say._ "Well, I can't really say it went bad, but I can't say it went good, either," Coba said grimly. "I was tense almost the entire time, although nothing really happened."

"What were you tense about, do you know?" the old man asked, concerned.

"I know I was tense about Wheeler, I'll grant you that. Terry and Dana are going to head over to Wheeler's ranch later and try to listen in on what's going on."

"Aren't you going with them?" Bruce inquired. His voice was not condescending, but curious.

Coba shook her head. "No. I kept getting panic attacks every time I thought of that place. If I have one while over there, I could endanger all of us."

Bruce nodded understandingly. "Coba, I know you don't want to get your brother or friend killed, but you can't let your fear get the better of you and keep you down. You'll need to face it, sooner or later."

"Which brings me to my question, which no doubt is what you're wanting to discuss: did the results come back from yesterday's blood test?"

Wayne nodded, hardly even surprised about Coba's correct guess. "Yes, they came in. But what does this have to do with your fears?"

Brooklyn became a little tense at Bruce's tone, which was more grave than ever, but decided to ignore it for the time being. "I've always been afraid, Bruce," she confessed quietly. "Afraid to know how my mother's birth family would react if they ever found out that my mother's dead. Afraid to know if they'd accept me or not."_ Let alone afraid to fully remember my mother's murder._

"Why would they not accept you?" Bruce asked incredulously.

"Because of my leg, my psychic abilities, my scar, and—" Coba stopped. _It's my fault Mom's dead. Fixx may have killed her, but I led him and those Jokerz to her._ She looked at him curiously. "You know something about my heritage, don't you?"

"Well, uh..." Bruce began awkwardly. He stopped and swallowed. _Why is this so hard to say?_ "Your grandmother... she's a member of—"

"Bruce, look!" Coba cried out, gesturing ahead with a nod of her head.

To his surprise, there was a taxi coming to a stop just in front of the front gate to Wayne Manor. He slowed to a stop ten yards away from the gate as the taxi's back passenger seat opened up and a person stepped out. Bruce heard Coba let out a gasp of surprise. "What is it?" he asked concernedly.

"More of a _who_," Coba said quietly. "She's the same woman from my nightmares."

Bruce became even more concerned. He stepped out of the car. "Stay close, kid," he advised Coba. "Try not to panic: be as calm as you can."

The girl nodded tensely in acknowledgment before grabbing her backpack, copying her guardian's actions and closely following him. They both knew it would be a better choice to have her follow him than wait in the car, in case someone tried to jump in and take the car with her still inside, though they both knew that they were still taking a big risk in having her come face-to-face with the strange woman.

The woman turned and saw them as the taxi peeled away. "Bruce!" she called out in greeting.

The first Batman froze in his tracks in surprise. He heard Coba's unsteady footsteps come to a halt as well. Bruce turned his head and looked into her eyes reassuringly, knowing that she was alarmed by his reaction to the woman. He saw that she was scared, but could tell by the look in her eyes that she was fighting to hide it. _It's alright, kid_, he thought, hoping she was reading his thoughts right then. To his relief, Coba nodded in confirmation, noticeably relaxing a bit. _She got it._ He looked at the woman once more and breathed out her name:

"Selina."

Coba was surprised once more. "As in Selina Kyle?" she inquired him quietly.

Wayne nodded. "Yes."

The two warriors resumed walking towards the woman, who was now walking towards them. They stopped once they were halfway between where they had originally been standing. Selina, who was surprisingly spry for her age, looked at Bruce, still smiling warmly. "How have you been?" she asked good-naturedly.

"It's been years, Selina," Bruce said, dodging the question. "Decades, even."

"Nice to see you, too," Selina muttered bitterly. She turned to Coba, eyeing her curiously. "You must be the new Batgirl," she said, extending her right hand. "It's no use denying it, either. I'm Selina Kyle."

"Coba Brooklyn," Batgirl said with as much confidence as she could muster despite her nervousness, shaking her right hand with who she knew to be the first Catwoman.

Kyle's green eyes seemed to flash in recognition, slowly pulling her hand away from Coba's. Coba suppressed a shudder that suddenly coursed through her. _My mother had that same look in her eyes when she recalled something._ "What is it?" she asked concernedly.

"Are you in any way related to Natalie Brooklyn?" Selina asked, a sense of urgency in her voice.

Brooklyn was caught off guard by the question. She felt a pang of sorrow as she tried to answer. "Yes. She—" She stopped a moment, trying to find her voice. "She was my mother," she finished in a sad, quiet voice.

"_Was?!_" Selina asked incredulously, anger clearly becoming more and more present in her voice. "Where is she? Where is my daughter?!"

Bruce was about to request for Selina to stop badgering Coba, but the teen solemnly held up a hand, keeping him silent. Coba felt tears of shock at Selina's statement and sorrow begin to form in her eyes. _Selina's my mother's mother? Wait, was that what Bruce was trying to tell me: that my grandmother is a member of the Rogue's Gallery?_ "She... she died three years ago, on September 15." She looked down sadly as her tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"September 15?" Catwoman said in a barely audible voice as a result of shock, her lower lip quivering with sadness. "How did this happen?"

Coba looked back up solemnly. "A gang of Jokerz were chasing me, and I was careless. They... they followed me home, trying to kill me. Mom got in front of them, and..." Her voice faltered, tears falling as it did.

Selina's eyes suddenly narrowed into a glare. Without warning, Selina raised her right hand. Coba had no time to react as it struck her across the face, causing her to let out a startled gasp. "Failure!" Selina shouted. "You let my daughter die!"

"No, it was an accident!" Coba found herself crying out desperately. "I didn't mean for it to happen!"

"Liar!" Selina proclaimed, striking her again, this time with more force.

The force of the newest slap sent Coba face-first to the ground. She looked up anxiously to see Selina prepare to tackle her, Selina's emerald green eyes searing angrily into hers of cobalt and reddish-brown. Coba tried to move, but terror had already seized her body, freezing her in place.

Bruce, who had watched the scene in horror, regained composure and intervened at that moment, placing himself between his young ward and Kyle. He grabbed Selina and pushed against her with all of his might, determined to protect Coba from being beaten any more. He was surprised by Selina's surprising strength, despite being about the same age as him, as she tried to push past him. It was not long until he felt a sharp pain in his chest, causing him to let out a small grunt of agony.

Coba sprang to her feet at that moment, her own fear replaced by concern for her guardian. "Bruce!" she exclaimed.

Wayne turned his head to Coba, still fighting against Selina. "Coba, run!" he gasped out, his voice quieted by pain. _Get on the train and go to Grayson's_, he thought. _You'll be safe there._

Brooklyn blinked back more tears. "I can't leave you here!" she protested.

"Yes, you can. Go, now!" Bruce noticed Coba's hesitation. "Please," he pleaded, his voice quieter. _You know what to do, kid._

Coba quickly and silently nodded, though now shaking with terror at having to turn and leave Bruce behind. She ran down the road, her backpack still on her back, only once casting a saddened and concerned glance back.

Selina finally managed to push past Bruce and began to give chase, but Bruce tripped her with his cane and pinned her down with it. She looked up at him angrily. "Let me up, Bruce!" she ordered.

Bruce's eyes narrowed into a Batglare. "So you can continue to hurt the daughter of your daughter and make matters worse? I don't think so."

Catwoman angrily smacked the cane away and moved to get up. However, Bruce pulled out a sedative and pinned her back down, shooting it into her neck. Selina's struggling slowed until she went limp after a brief moment.

The first Batman half dragged, half carried Selina's unconscious form to his car. He opened up the back passenger door, heaved the woman into the seat, and shut it again. Bruce leaned up against the car and, with a shaking hand, pulled out a bottle of pills from his jacket. He opened up the bottle before taking out one pill. He dry-swallowed it and closed the bottle securely as he looked down the road. For a few minutes, he stood there, waiting for his strength to return and for a sign that Coba was alright. Bruce's waiting was finally rewarded by the sound of a train heading towards Blüdhaven. _Stay safe, Coba. I'll see what I can get out of Selina concerning why she's here: I doubt it's just to catch up on what all we've been up to._

Wayne got into the driver's seat of the car after pressing a button on the key chain, causing the front gate leading to the mansion to open. He drove the car up the driveway, closing the gate behind him with the same button, before coming to a stop in front of the mansion. Opening the passenger door, he once again heaved Selina over his shoulder and carried her into the living room. He placed her none-too-gently on the couch before picking up the phone that was sitting on the table. Bruce pressed a few buttons on the phone. _Please let him be there_, he silently prayed as the dial-tone played in his right ear.

After a moment, there was a gruff answer. _"This better be important, Bruce."_

"Dick, there's been some trouble," Bruce replied. "Coba's on her way to your place right now."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Yep, Selina Kyle is Coba's grandmother. What exactly brought her back to Gotham from Paris? Why did the date of Natalie's death stand out to her? Does she really hate Coba for what happened to Natalie, or did she act the way she did because of grief? What part will she play, if at all, in bringing down Wheeler's ranch? These questions and more will be answered later on, though you are welcome to leave guesses in a review if you want.**

_**That explicit just smacked Coba around and called her a failure, but gets to stay with Bruce while Coba has to go all the way to Blüdhaven? That doesn't make any sense!**_

**Well, if Coba hadn't run, Bruce probably would not have kept Selina around for fear that she'd hurt Coba again, and then there would be no point in continuing the story: the plot would not follow with Batgirl facing her fears, and would instead be really dull and unimaginative on my part (it would follow exactly with the episode "The Last Resort," and that's not what I want).**

_**At least we now know why Coba's glare is so intense (cats kinda have a glare in their eyes) and why she has a love for animals!**_

**Actually, when I first started this story series, I hadn't thought of having Coba be related to anyone well-known aside from Bruce and Terry (and Warren McGinnis, for that matter). With her glare being more intense than Bruce's, I was thinking about something Alfred had said in **_**Mystery of the Batwoman**_**: "Remember, there are many species in which the female is deadlier than the male." In this case, the glare, since Coba is not villainous or extremely lethal. As for her having a love for animals, well, that bit was based on me at the time because I've always loved animals (especially rats, mice, rabbits, and hamsters). All of these similarities to Selina were completely coincidental. The only thing Coba and Selina have in common that was intended from the start is their claws (Coba uses hers in "The Call," hence the opening statement for a sentence in "Chapter 5: Fight Against Steel" "As if it were second nature to her...").**

_**But who could her grandfather be? Maybe he has something to do with her glare too?**_

**That will be revealed in a future chapter as well. He is known to the DC Universe (primarily the Batman Universe), and has been included in a past fanfic I have written of this story series. You are welcome to leave guesses of who he is in a review, though! In fact, I encourage it! :) **


	5. Chapter 4: Streets of Blüdhaven

Coba ran non-stop for ten minutes until she arrived at a train station almost a mile away from Wayne Manor. Upon arrival, she stopped, paid for her ticket, then boarded the train for Blüdhaven. Weary from her running and her panic, she sat down on a seat, set her bag next to her, and closed her eyes, knowing that the other passengers on the train would not attempt to bother her in any way. She opened her eyes briefly to see Ed crawl out of the bag and gave him a warning glance that told him to get back inside. Thankfully, he did so without any of the other passengers being aware of his presence, therefore not scaring any of them or alerting the guards by the doors. After a few minutes, Coba fell asleep.

It was less than twenty minutes later that the train stopped again.

Brooklyn opened her eyes at that moment. She knew that the train was not at her destination yet, but she sat up straight anyway, an eerie feeling telling her to do so. A girl slipped past the security guards and jumped onto the train before slipping to the vacant seat next to Coba. There were dark circles of weariness beneath her eyes, although Coba immediately recognized her from when she was still attending the high school. _Jennifer Vreeland? What's _she_ doing here? Why's she wearing orange? And why was she running like that?_

Two large, tough men also boarded, getting past the guards as well. The doors closed behind them, and the train was moving again as they sat down at the back of the car. Coba watched as they looked around the car from where they sat until their gazes were upon Vreeland. She looked at the other teen, who was shaking with terror. "Is something wrong?" Coba asked in a very quiet voice that only the girl heard.

Jennifer only nodded.

_She doesn't want to talk with those guys around_, Coba realized. "Just think it," she whispered. "I can read minds."

Amusement seemed to flicker in Jennifer's eyes. _Might as well test her first_, she thought. _There was a snake in the grass, and it slithered pass my feet._

"Interesting story," Coba said quietly. "A snake in the grass would scare me too. Now, what's _really_ bothering you?"

Jennifer stared at the younger teen in surprise, but her surprise faded to solemnity almost instantly. _I just escaped from Wheeler's ranch. He's trying to break our wills, turn us all into his little slaves. Why he's doing it, I don't know. Those men looking in our direction are guards from the ranch. They're the only two who saw me make my break for freedom. _She paused. _Do you know where this train's going? I need to get home and tell my parents, even though they may not believe me._

"Blüdhaven is where this train's heading," Coba answered.

"But I have to get home!" Jennifer suddenly exploded, her voice tight with terror.

"You will," Batgirl said reassuringly. "I promise."

Vreeland looked at her quizzically. "Really?" she said, her voice much quieter.

Coba nodded. "Absolutely."

"Who are you? I think I've seen you before."

"Coba Brooklyn, Terry McGinnis's half-sister."

The train came to a stop at that moment. The girls watched as the guards stood up from their seats before doing the same. Coba had Jennifer go in front of her as they got off the train, the guards following close behind. "When I say 'now,' run as fast as you can to this address," Coba instructed in a quiet yet authoritative voice, slipping her bag to Jennifer and handing her a piece of paper. "And be careful with the bag: my pet rat is in there."

Jennifer nodded in acknowledgment. "Thanks, Coba," she whispered gratefully.

"Don't thank me yet," Coba said grimly. "This nightmare is nowhere near being over."

The two teens walked out of the station, the guards still following. Brooklyn heard the men's paces quicken suddenly, gaining on them. "Now!" she cried.

Without a word, Vreeland broke into a run. The guards moved to chase her, but Coba was quicker. She skillfully tripped them both without falling to the ground as well. One of the men swiped a leg at her legs, only for her to jump up and get out of its range. The other man tried to stand up. Coba knocked him back down quickly. "What's the matter, boys?" she taunted. "Can't seem to best a crippled little girl?"

That did the trick. Catching up with Jennifer was no longer the guards' main priority: it was catching this small teen and putting her back in her place. With a yell coming from each of them, they stood up and charged at her. Coba quickly weaved past them and bolted down the street she knew Jennifer did not run into. The guards regained their stability before dashing after her.

Brooklyn's eyes were narrowed in a determined glare as she ran through the streets, the guards hard on her heels. _I gotta ditch these guys somehow_, she thought. Without warning, she zipped into an alleyway directly to her right, causing the guard in front of the other to stop and get knocked down by his companion. Coba did not stop to laugh at them, knowing too well that it would heighten the chances of them catching her. Looking ahead, she noticed an old fire escape on an old abandoned building. _It can still hold a great deal of weight. That's good news._ She jumped up and pulled the ladder down before running up it, quickly pulling it back up once she did so. Without wasting another moment, she sped up the remaining flights of metal stairs. She was up on the roof after only ten seconds of running.

Coba quickly ran behind a doorway protruding from the rooftop. _I can't go in there: the floors inside are probably unstable, and I could fall through. There's nowhere to go from here except chance jumping to a lower roof—which is unlikely—or going back down the fire escape._ The sound of footsteps upon metal told her that her pursuers were coming up from the fire escape. _Here goes nothing, kid. It's just you and them. Keep your wits about you: strength loses to tactic. Wait_, she realized. _I lost my wits when I ran up here anyway: I'm stuck up here!_

~!~

In an apartment room a few blocks away, a phone rang. A man with one eye walked into the dining room, where the phone was, and looked at the caller I.D. Sighing irritably, he gruffly answered the phone. "This better be important, Bruce."

_"Dick, there's been some trouble,"_ came the weak response. _"Coba's heading your way right now."_

Concern for Bruce rarely ever took place in Dick's mind, but he could tell that his former mentor was strained somehow. "Are you okay? What's going on?"

_"I'm fine,"_ Bruce assured him, _"but I don't know if Coba is. I'll explain later."_

"Explain what?" inquired Grayson, baffled.

Pause. _"Just keep an eye out for her."_ Bruce hung up at that moment.

Grayson put the phone back after pressing the "end" button. "I only have one eye, anyway," he muttered irritably. He stepped back into the living room, where a man and a woman were patiently waiting for him. "I'm sorry, but our evening will have to be cut short," he informed them grimly.

"It was Bruce, wasn't it?" the man said bitterly, narrowing his eyes.

"Tim, honey, don't start that again," the woman said gently.

Tim Drake looked at his wife, softening his gaze. "Sorry, sweetheart." He turned back to Grayson. "Mind sharing what he said?"

"Just that Coba's on her way over here," Dick answered. "He didn't go into much depth, and he sounded a bit—"

A knock on the door cut Grayson's sentence short. Excusing himself once more, he walked over to the door and cracked it open. To his surprise, a teenage girl fell upon the door, causing it to completely open. He caught her as she fell, then pulled up a chair from the kitchen—which was within a few paces from the door—and sat her down in it. The girl dropped a backpack to the ground, tipping it over but not revealing the contents. A black and brown-furred rat stumbled out of the bag, then lay down on the floor in exhaustion. Dick gently picked up the rat, immediately recognizing him. "Ed!"

Ed looked up at him weakly, then fell asleep in his hands.

"Is that—?" Tim's wife began, speaking of the girl.

"No, it's not Coba," Dick gently interrupted. He looked at the girl, who was looking up at him dazedly. "Who are you?"

"Jennifer Vreeland," she gasped. "Coba... sent me here... she's... being chased... holding them off... in the streets..."

_I swear that Coba's too much like Bruce for her own good_, Dick thought grimly. "Holding who off?" Grayson gently yet urgently inquired.

"Guards... from Wheeler's ranch..." Jennifer could not say anymore. Her head rolled back as she lost consciousness.

Dick was numb with shock for a moment, as were Tim and his wife. _I knew that man was a fake. Coba especially knew. _Realization struck him. _Coba's still out there! _He brought himself back into reality with that thought and turned to his two friends. "I know I'm out of place to ask anything of you," he said, carefully placing Ed on a foot stool, "but could you stay here with these two?"

Tim nodded gravely. "Yes. Go. Oh, and Dick," he added just as the older man was about to leave, "I have a feeling Coba won't be in any condition to fight them off herself. Make sure you can take on both guards and more if need be."

"Thanks," Dick said gratefully. _He's just a close friend of mine, but sometimes I swear he's like a nagging spouse._ He got up and left the apartment, running as fast as he could. _Please, don't let me be too late!_

~!~

The guards came up onto the roof of the building Coba was on at about the same time that Grayson had left his apartment. They glanced around the roof for a moment in silence until the larger of the two gestured to one side of the protruding doorway. The other man nodded, then pulled out a pistol and stalked over to it quietly, being careful not to make a sound.

Coba stood very still, remaining silent and alert as well, as the guard approached from her left. She hoped that the furious, nervous beating of her heart would not give away her position to her foe. The girl ducked down a little bit as he rounded the corner, then made her move. Without making a single sound, she jumped onto the man and managed to grip him in a headlock, flexing her arm as she did. After several seconds, the man fell down in an unconscious heap. She stood up from where she and the guard had fallen. _One down, only one more to worry abou—_

The gentle sound of nearing, obviously trying to be sneaky, footsteps caused Coba to spin around in alarm. The remaining guard reached out at her before she could react, grabbing her by the front of her shirt and pulling her up to his chest. Coba struggled wildly in his grasp. She knew that he was planning to knock her out, but he was too strong for her to get free. _Unless... _

Brooklyn slammed the back of her head into his face, causing him to release her with a yell that told her that she had broken his nose. Once her feet touched the roof again, she dashed toward the fire escape. _Time to get out of here, kid!_

The guard raced after Coba, catching her again. "No you don't!" he snarled, pinning her arms behind her back. "You're not getting away this time!" He herded her toward the opposite side of the building, lifting her up after a moment so she could not touch the roof and make it more difficult for him to move her. As they approached the ledge, he lifted Coba up higher by one arm and held her just a few feet away from the ledge, causing her feet to dangle above the busy city street far below.

Coba quit struggling and froze in terror with a gasp as she realized her foe's plan. Panic began to seize control of her for the second time that night. She opened her mouth to scream, but her terror had greatly quieted her voice. Her eyes were widened with fear at being held up so high, her mind going back to when she had jumped onto the Gotham Hills Arena's glass roof to wash Inque away and nearly fell to her death doing so. Coba heard her voice try again and again to get louder, but it kept getting quieter and quieter with each attempt. The man lifted her up a little higher, instantly providing her the urgency she needed to scream a single word she had not screamed since before her first time becoming Batgirl:

"Help!"

The guard grinned darkly at Coba's distressed cry. "What's the matter, runt?" he mocked. "Can't seem to get away from your own death?"

The fear in Coba's eyes was suddenly replaced by a glare. Gripping the guard's wrist with her other hand and bringing her legs together, she swung herself between his legs, getting back onto the roof and causing him to release her. She sprinted away from him once more, but was intercepted by the newly recovered guard. He hurled himself onto her, pinning her down as he did. Coba struggled wildly for freedom, but she was unable to break free from his tight grasp and heavier weight. The larger guard approached them, pulling out a pistol. He pointed the gun at Coba's head. The girl felt terror seize her once more. She knew that she could not escape, but she also knew that she could only pray that her shout moments before had reached someone's ears.

Luckily for her, it did.

A strange throwing device hit the larger villain's hand, causing the gun to fall from his hand, before a dark figure thrust itself into the smaller guard. The guard released Coba before hitting the cement of the roof and rolling a few feet across it with the newcomer. The newcomer broke free and got in front of Coba as the guards were recovering from their initial shock. Coba looked up at her rescuer in surprise and scrambled to her feet. "Nightwing?"

Nightwing nodded before protectively holding an arm in front of Coba as the guards slowly advanced towards them. _Strange having to do this with her right now, but she seems too scared to handle herself. _This very thought rattled him._ This isn't the usual Coba I see. I've only seen her like this once, but that was forty years ago when she was sent back in time. Now I see what Tim meant by unable to fend for herself_, he realized. "Stay back, kid," he cautioned urgently. "I'll take care of this."

Grayson stood readily as the bigger guard lunged at him. Nightwing slammed his fist into his opponent's face. The guard stumbled back, but regained his balance instantly and threw a punch at the vigilante. Nightwing blocked it expertly, then twisted the man's arm back. He pinned the villain down, then expertly rendered him unconscious. The tough hero stood back up and looked around the roof, but there was no sign of the second guard—or Coba. He mentally cursed at himself as he looked back down at the first guard's limp form.

"Give it up, _hero_."

Nightwing did not need to look behind him to know who was talking, though he looked back anyway to see the second guard step out from behind the protruding doorway, holding Coba hostage-style, with one arm under her chest and pinning her arms against her sides, against his chest and clamping her mouth shut with his other hand. "Surrender now," the guard ordered, nearing the edge of the roof, "or the runt drops."

Although Dick had only half-expected to see fear in Batgirl's eyes, there was a large amount in them—mixed with a sense of apology: her eyes seemed to say "I'm sorry." _Hang in there, kid_, Nightwing thought, hoping she would hear it._ We'll get out of this, I promise._ Doubt instantly flooded over him. How could he hope to get himself and Coba out of being killed?

At that moment, Coba managed to dig her short yet sharp finger nails into the guard's side. The guard released her with a pained yell, causing her to fall. Coba quickly grabbed the edge of the roof, but found that she could not get herself back up. The man recovered from his shock and lifted his foot to stomp on her hands. Coba could not tear her gaze away from him, even though she tried hard to do so.

"Oh, no you don't!"

The guard had no time to react as Nightwing suddenly wrestled him to the roof, but managed to flip himself on top of the vigilante. He gripped Nightwing around his throat in a vice, aiming to strangle him. However, Grayson slashed a wing-ding across the guard's chest, causing the villain to release him. He flipped the guard over before rabbit-punching his face. After a few seconds, the guard lost consciousness.

Nightwing stood back up and walked to where Brooklyn clung to the roof. He knelt down before grabbing her under her arms just as her grip on the ledge slackened dangerously. With a little bit of strain, he heaved Coba back onto the roof. The girl regarded her rescuer in shocked silence for a moment before trying to speak, but no sound could force its way through. She looked down at the cement of the roof and closed her eyes, her body beginning to shake uncontrollably as she did so. Dick placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. To his surprise, Coba flung her arms around him. He heard some gasping sounds coming from her within seconds. _Is she... _sobbing_? _he thought incredulously. "It's okay, kid," he stated reassuringly, hugging her back. "It's okay. I got you."

Dick helped Coba to stand after a minute, during which the girl managed to calm down a bit. Motioning for her to stay put, he pulled the two guards together and tied them together with strong cord. Once he was finished, he secured an electronic beeper on the cord. _Hopefully the cops will get here soon and detain them before they wake up._ "Come on, kid," he calmly urged Brooklyn. "Let's get out of here."

Wordlessly, the young girl nodded. She followed Nightwing down the fire escape, all the while trying to keep her gaze from falling upon the ground far below. They did not get very far before she froze, closing her eyes tightly and hyperventilating as she did so. Nightwing stopped after a few more seconds, realizing Coba had stopped. He turned around and walked up to where she was. "Coba, come on," he gently urged.

"I can't," Coba choked in a quiet, terrified voice, not once opening her eyes. "The waves, the cement, the rain..." She trailed off, her body shaking with terror once more.

_What is she talking about?_ Dick wondered. With a brief moment's hesitation, he shot a sedative into her right shoulder, knocking her out in less than five seconds. He lifted Coba into his arms and carried her the rest of the way down the fire escape to the alley. _That's it_, he thought angrily as he continued to his apartment building._ When I talk to Bruce later, I'm getting straight answers as to why Coba left the manor and why she panicked like this._

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**I know, I know: Coba went from terrified to serious and then back to terrified. Happens to me sometimes. Kinda annoying when it does, really.**

_**Then why have Coba experienc****e**** it?**_

**Because Coba is based on myself, and I mostly communicate my inner feelings and thoughts through her. It's something of a release for me, even though some of what happens to her has not happened to me (such as her having the scar over her right eye: I have always admired that mark on certain fictional characters and actual people (I see it as the mark of a warrior who's been through a lot and still keeps going)).**

_**Oh, gotcha. Wait, does that mean you like Scar from **_**The Lion King_?_**

**No. I said _certain_ fictional characters.**

_**Oh**** yeah.**_

**Any-who, here come my questions for considering:**

**Who do you think Coba's grandfather is? What were Tim and his wife (whom I'm calling Heather in this fic: since her name is never mentioned in _Return of the Joker_ or any of the comics, I decided to give her the first random name I thought of) doing at Dick's apartment? Is Dick going to yell at Coba after she wakes up? These questions (as well as previous ones and other ones I have failed to mention) will be revealed later on, some in the next chapter.**

**As for Jennifer Vreeland: I made her up to add to the drama concerning Wheeler's ranch. And yes, she _is_ the daughter of Bunny Vreeland, the girl Bruce had saved when he had to point a loaded gun at a thug to save his own life in 2019. In that scene with Bruce, I can only assume that Bunny was sixteen. Then, in my mind, married when she was twenty, and gave birth to Jennifer when she was twenty-one. With all of that considered, Jennifer is sixteen in this story (in 2040).**

**I have found myself having major writer's block with this story, so chapter postings may be delayed. I hope to have the entire story up by Christmas, though all I can do is hope that I can manage to have the story up by then but have it done at least decently.**

**Please leave a review if you want to!**


	6. Chapter 5: Acknowledgements

Dick arrived at his apartment with Coba's unconscious form in tow. Upon entering the apartment building, he had taken off his mask and gloves before covering his Nightwing costume with normal clothes. He entered the apartment and was greeted by Tim, Heather, and a newly recovered Jennifer. Jennifer looked at Coba's still form concernedly. "Is she okay?"

"Yes, she's fine," Dick answered. "She's just unconscious right now."

"Did those guards do this?" the girl asked.

"No, I did," Grayson confessed. "She was about to go into shock, so I had to knock her out."

"What became of the men?"

"I'm not completely sure. I only know that Nightwing detained them."

To Dick's relief, Jennifer did not start to ask about Nightwing. _After all these years I finally can't think of a believable cover story_, he mused. _This one was almost too true._

Jennifer looked down at the ground sadly. "It's all my fault," she said regretfully. "If I hadn't escaped from Wheeler's ranch, I wouldn't have gotten Coba scared like this, enough to be in shock."

_Though from Bruce's call earlier, it sounds like Coba's already _been_ scared_, Dick noted solemnly. _It could be that her confrontation with the guards triggered some kind of fear deep within her that almost got her to go into shock._

"It's not your fault," Tim calmly told Jennifer. "The only persons to blame are Wheeler and those who work for him. Coba intervened to help you because she felt it was the right thing to do."

Vreeland looked at Drake sadly. "They were going to take me back to the ranch to kill me. That can only mean that they'd kill someone who got in their way intentionally. They would've killed Coba, and I was the reason why..." Her voice trailed off as she burst into guilty tears.

Heather placed a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder. "You and Coba are still alive, and that's what's important right now."

Tim was curious. "Why would they want to kill you, let alone go through the trouble of trying to take you back to the ranch to do so?"

"Because they don't want me to tell anyone what's really been going on in there," Jennifer choked.

"What is going on in there?" Tim inquired further, before Heather could refrain him from doing so.

"Wheeler's trying to brainwash us, but I don't know what for." Jennifer looked at him pleadingly. "Please, I don't want to talk about it anymore right now!" she cried.

"I'm sorry," Tim apologized. "I won't ask any more about it."

Everyone was silent for a few moments. During this time, Grayson set Coba's limp form down on the couch, propped her head up with pillows, and covered her up to her shoulders with a blanket. He turned back to his conscious companions concernedly. "Tim, Heather," he said, breaking the silence at last. "Can you take Miss Vreeland home?"

"If it's alright with her," Heather stated bluntly.

"That would be fine, thank you," Jennifer said in a quiet voice, trying to keep it steady. "But what about Coba?"

"She'll have to stay here for the night," Dick answered. "She was already on her way over here before she helped you escape the guards."

"When she wakes up, can you tell her thank you for me?"

Dick nodded. "Yes, I will."

"Thank you," Jennifer said gratefully. "All of you."

Heather grinned benignly at the girl. "Of course."

Just as Heather led Jennifer out of the apartment, Tim turned to Dick. "Make sure you put in a word for me when you talk to the old man," he said quietly, anger clearly audible in his voice. "I don't want him to make a habit of cutting our meetings together short. And make sure you don't yell at Coba when you talk to her later."

Grayson was slightly amused. "I'll put in a word for ya, but I swear you're like a nagging house wife sometimes, Tim."

Drake could not help but smile at that. "Anything to keep you on your toes, Dick. I should really thank Heather for the lessons."

"I heard that!" Heather called from the doorway with mock severity. Jennifer could be heard laughing from behind the woman.

Tim blushed with embarrassment as Nightwing struggled in vain to stifle a grin. "Uh... Love you honey!" he called back. He turned to his old friend. "Take care, Dick." Without waiting for a response, he turned and left with his wife and Vreeland, quietly closing the door behind them. His wife passed a secret wink to him, which he returned. _Glad we were able to give the girl a laugh and Dick a smile_, he thought. _They both needed it badly._

The phone rang a few moments after Nightwing's companions left. He went to pick up the phone when he heard a weary, uncomfortable groan from the couch. _Coba must have heard the phone_, he realized. After a second's hesitation, he picked up the phone, aiming to not disturb the girl with the ringing any longer. "Yeah?" he answered the device.

"_Dick, did Coba make it?"_

"Yes, she did," Dick replied, a bit peeved to hear the other person's voice.

"_Is she alright?"_

"Yes."

The person on the other end of the line breathed a sigh of relief. _"Thank God."_

Despite this, Dick was still rather irritated. "Bruce, what's going on? You'd better have a good reason for sending her over here when Tim and his wife were visiting."

Bruce was silent for a brief moment. _"I apologize for the bad timing,"_ he said at last, _"but something had come up. Selina Kyle's back in Gotham."_

"So you sent Coba all the way over here to be chased by security guards from Dr. Wheeler's ranch and nearly killed so you could spend quality time with Catwoman?"

"_Coba was _what_?!"_

Grayson winced at the sudden increase of volume in Bruce's voice. _He only acts like this when he's concerned for someone else's well being_, he thought. _He couldn't have sent her away like this just to mess around with an old flame. _He closed his eyes and rubbed his eyebrows. _Now to get _that_ visual out of my mind... _

"She had the guards chase her, Bruce, to try to get them off of another girl's tail," he answered his former mentor. "If Tim and Heather hadn't been here to keep an eye on the girl she saved, I wouldn't have been able to leave. You know what that would have meant for Coba." _Huh, I guess his timing wasn't so bad after all._

"_I know," _Wayne replied solemnly.

"So, what happened over there? I recall earlier that you were a bit short on breath, and that you said something about not being sure if Coba was fine or not. Whatever it was, it must've played a part in getting Coba to nearly go into shock. I had to knock her out after dealing with the guards before she could go into shock." There was silence. "Bruce, are you still there?" Dick asked concernedly.

"_Yes, I'm still here,"_ Bruce confirmed. _"It's just a bit hard to take in."_

"I know. Are you going to tell me or what?" Grayson pressed, peeved once more.

Bruce was silent for a few seconds before telling his old friend in detail about Brooklyn's encounter with Selina. _"I'm keeping Selina here, at least until I can get some answers out of her as to why she returned. I doubt it was just to attack Coba or catch up with what I've been up to,"_ he concluded.

Dick was silent for a moment, thinking over everything the first Batman had told him. "So, you're saying that Selina is Coba's grandmother and beat her?"

"_That is correct."_

"I don't get it."

"_What don't you get?"_ Bruce asked incredulously.

"I don't get why Coba didn't fight back," Grayson replied bluntly.

"_You'll have to ask her that yourself, once she's up to it."_

"Do you know for _sure_ if they're related?"

"_Yes, I do. The test results came today."_ Bruce's tone became graver. _"Which is what I also wanted to talk to you about."_

"Then tell me." Dick's tone was as sharp as a thorn on a cactus. _No more games: just answers._

Wayne let out a sigh after a brief moment of silence. _"Your name was in the results, right next to Selina's, over Natalie Brooklyn's name. You know what that means, don't you?"_

Dick did not have to think very long to realize what that could mean. "You mean, I'm—" he halted, realizing that he was almost yelling. He lowered his voice. "I'm Coba's grandfather?"

"_That is what I mean."_

Nightwing could not find his voice for several moments. _I don't believe this. When could this have started? _It dawned on him. _When I was still in Gotham and had teamed up with Catwoman. I remember we slept together. Great, now to get _that_ out of my head. _He looked over at the couch where Coba had been sleeping, and was a bit disconcerted by what he saw. "Oh, no," he muttered, barely moving his lips.

"_What is it?"_ Bruce asked concernedly.

"Coba's awake. By the look on her face, she heard everything we've been saying."

_"Why did you say 'oh no?' She was going to find out, anyway,"_ Wayne said matter-of-factually.

"I know that, but with what went on tonight, I don't think she'll take it very well right now. I'll have to call you back later."

_"No, I'll call you."_ Bruce hung up before Grayson could try to argue.

Dick sighed in distress as he hung up the phone. _Talking to Coba is not going to be easy._ He walked over to the couch, where Batgirl was watching him apprehensively, his demeanor softening. "How are you feeling?" he asked gently.

Coba did not relax, despite Nightwing's calm tone. "A bit nauseus from that sedative," she admitted quietly, moving a bit to make room for him to sit on the couch as well, "and a bit confused."

"Confused about what?" Dick asked, surprised, as he sat down next to her. "Didn't you hear my discussion with Bruce?"

"I did hear it, even his end of it, but that's not what I'm confused about." Coba looked at him curiously, still tense. "Aren't you going to yell at me?"

"I'll do my best not to, kid," Dick assured her. "You've been through enough tonight."

Brooklyn blinked in surprise, but was immediately ashamed. "I'm sorry for ruining your meeting with the Drakes," she said, her voice still quiet.

Grayson grinned harmlessly. "Don't worry about it, kid," he stated calmly. "It wasn't your fault things went bad at your place."

"I'm the one who got Selina upset, though. I didn't mean to, but—" Coba stopped, feeling tears roll down her cheeks. She looked down shamefully.

Dick placed a reassuring hand on the small teen's shoulder. "Despite how Selina feels, your mother's death was not your fault. The only people to blame are those who killed her."

"It should've been me who was killed instead of her," Coba murmured without looking up.

The man shook his head. "No, kid," he said gently. "Your mother gave her life to save yours. I for one believe that she wanted you to live your life, and that she still does... as I do."

Coba looked up at him in shock through teary eyes. _He means it_, she realized. She was about to say something to him, but found that she could not get her voice to say anything. Ashamed and embarrassed that she could not speak, she lowered her head once more and closed her eyes.

Grayson removed his hand from her shoulder before he stood up, not wanting to exert his weight on the girl and hurt her. Batgirl looked up at him tensely. _She thinks I'm going to leave her like this_, he realized. He could not read minds, but he could tell by the look in another person's eyes what they were feeling. "It's okay, kid," he said calmly. "I'm not leaving you alone in here." After noticing her relax a little, he added: "Try to get some sleep, okay?"

"Okay," Coba said uncertainly.

"What's wrong?" Dick asked concernedly, noticing her reluctance.

Brooklyn hesitated for a moment, then let out a tense sigh. "I've been having nightmares these past few nights, of Wheeler and Selina, even of my mother. And on that roof tonight, I—" She paused uncomfortably. "I began remembering the times I nearly fell to my death, I guess."

"Before I knocked you out, you were saying something about rain, cement, and waves," Dick stated. "Did any of those things have to do with those times?"

"Yeah," said Coba with a grim nod. "The waves had to do with the first time, when I had gone with Terry to face our father's killer—who also killed my mother. The rain and cement were both present in the second incident, when I had to jump onto a glass roof and break it to save Bruce, Terry and Dana from Inque." She shuddered uncomfortably at the memories. "They continue to haunt me to this day."

"Did the incident forty years ago—a few months ago, for you—have anything to do with your anxiety?"

Coba nodded again, feeling a lone tear of stress roll down her cheek, as she recalled the incident he was mentioning. "A little. Not a day goes by without remembering the pain from the crowbar and the kicks, and the helplessness I felt as those were inflicted upon me and when they tried to kill you as well."

More tears began to fall from the girl's eyes. "I was mostly thinking of my encounter with Selina when I was up on the roof," she confessed. "She had the same glint in her eyes that I've only seen my mother gain once: one of pure anger. I couldn't—and wouldn't—fight back against her because she looked like my mother." She looked down shamefully. "Maybe I shouldn't be Batgirl anymore. How can I hope to be an effective Bat and not even be able to face my greatest fears, let alone be able to fend for myself when surprised?"

Dick knelt down, lifted Coba's chin and gently brushed his thumb across her cheek, wiping her tears away. "Coba, look at me," he said gently yet authoritatively. He waited until his granddaughter's cobalt eyes looked up at him, though she was a bit reluctant. "You're a great Batgirl, and I mean that. But doubting yourself isn't going to help you learn to master your fears or fend for yourself."

"But what do I do?" Coba choked. "How do I learn to master them?"

"You must look within you, kid," Dick replied sagely. "The courage is in there somewhere."

"I-I don't understand," Brooklyn stammered quietly. "I'm scared, Grandfather."

Grayson was caught off guard by Coba's title for him, but at the same time he felt a bit reassured and kept his calm composure. _She accepts that I'm her grandfather. That's _one_ good sign, at least._ "I know," he told her gently. "You'll understand it, in time."

"Okay," Coba said, her voice still quiet. She watched as Dick stood up again, prepared to leave the room. "Wait," she said urgently.

Nightwing looked at the girl patiently. "What is it?"

Coba was about to speak, but suddenly stopped herself. _How can I ask him why he's being so nice to me?_ she wondered. _How can I tell him that I accept him as my grandfather, but I don't accept myself as his granddaughter right now? How can I even tell him that I heard his voice on the roof telling me to go between that guard's legs to get away from him?_ After a brief moment, she awkwardly replied, "Thank you, for everything."

"You're welcome, Coba," Grayson said with a small, reassuring grin, despite noticing her hesitation. "Get some sleep, okay?" _We'll talk more in the morning._

Brooklyn nodded in acknowledgment to both spoken and thought words. "Okay." She waited until he left before she settled back into the couch, pulling the blanket over her shoulders. Ed woke up from where he sat on the footstool, then jumped onto Coba's body. He quickly climbed up onto the arm of the couch and laid down on the small table next to the large piece of furniture. Coba grinned. _At least Ed's alright. Maybe I can sleep a bit easier than I may have if I were uncertain about his well-being._ She closed her eyes, which were burning from the numerous tears she shed that night, and slipped into a deep sleep.

~!~

Just as Bruce hung up the phone, he heard a groan from the couch. He turned to see, not to his surprise, Selina sit up wearily. She looked at him grimly, a bit irritated. "I admit: you haven't lost as much of your touch as I originally thought."

"I have my moments," Bruce stated gruffly.

Selina looked around, her eyes bright with rage. "Where's that little miscreant?"

Wayne gave her a Batglare. "The 'little miscreant' is the daughter of your daughter, who I doubt would approve of your actions tonight."

"What makes you so sure of that?" Kyle inquired with a growl. "It's because of the brat that she's dead!"

"She locked Coba in the closet behind her when those men came after her," Bruce said gravely. "There was nothing Coba could do to stop it."

"Coba could have prevented it by not leading them to my daughter!" the woman snapped.

Bruce sadly shook his head. "No, she couldn't have."

"What are you talking about?!" Selina flustered. "Why couldn't she?!"

The first Batman looked into Catwoman's eyes solemnly. "The man that struck Natalie down was hired to kill her, Selina. Even if they didn't find her that day, she would've been hunted down and killed soon after."

Selina felt as if someone had thrown her against a cement wall and knocked the breath out of her. Her anger was immediately replaced by grief. "Oh my God," she breathed. She looked at Bruce once more. "Why would anyone want to kill her?"

"I'm not completely sure," Bruce confessed, "but I only know that she had dated the man who wanted her killed. She broke it off suddenly after a week, and not even Coba's completely certain of why. She only noticed that your daughter was acting a bit strangely. I think she was killed because she knew too much about a plan of his."

"What makes you think that?" Selina inquired.

"Coba's father was ordered to be eliminated by the same man for uncovering a plan to make deadly nerve gas, though two years later."

"I don't understand: why wouldn't he kill my daughter and Coba's father at the same time?"

"They were not living together, nor did they know about each other's activities. Coba didn't even know her father until after her mother was killed. If Coba had been his target, then he probably would've made sure her parents were dead, then killed her off." Bruce looked at her curiously. "You seemed to remember the date of Natalie's death. Care to share?"

Kyle nodded. "It was the same day we talked to one another for the first time." She noticed Bruce look at her in confusion. "I had set her up for adoption once she was born. I didn't want her to be an abortion, but at the same time I didn't want to give her a life on the run like what I had then. But when we spoke, she explained that she had been trying to find me for a few weeks. We agreed to meet up with each other in Paris, where I have been for forty years, within a week. When she didn't show, I assumed she had forgotten about it and tried to call her, but the phone line was dead." _Because she was dead_, Selina realized with a pang of sorrow.

"But why wait so long to come here and look for her?" Wayne inquired.

"I knew that I was still a wanted criminal here," Selina explained. "I knew that if I looked for her where she said she lived, I'd immediately be arrested and not be able to spend any time with her or help her if she were in trouble. I guess I got so desperate with each passing year that I decided to come to you for help in tracking her down. And when Coba explained what happened to her, something in me snapped. You know what that led to. Speaking of Coba, where is she?" she asked suddenly. "I—I want to apologize."

"She's with her grandfather right now," Bruce replied sagely. "When I spoke with him, he said she's had a rough night. I don't think talking to her right now is a good idea."

Selina sighed. "You're right. I wouldn't want to talk to me, either. Did Dick say what happened on her way over there?"

"I don't think telling you that would make you feel better," Bruce said doubtfully.

"Just tell me!" the woman demanded.

Bruce hesitated, then sighed in defeat before explaining Coba's encounter with the guards. "She's alright, though," he concluded, "just shaken by all of it." He realized something. "So you know her grandfather is Dick?"

"I've known since the day Natalie was born that he was her father: she had the same smile as him," Selina answered sagely. "Since Coba's her daughter, it's only logical that Dick's her grandfather." She moved to get up.

"Where do you think you're going?" the old Dark Knight inquired.

"Going to the police," Catwoman answered. "I told myself that if I did anything that would upset my daughter, I'd turn myself in. Putting her daughter through so much counts as letting Natalie down."

"Turning yourself in before apologizing to Coba would upset her even more," Bruce pointed out. "I suggest you stay put, at least until Coba comes back."

Selina looked at him in surprise. "You'd be breaking the law by harboring a wanted criminal, you know."

Bruce nodded sagely. "I know."

Kyle was taken aback. "I guess you really care about Coba a lot, don't you?"

Bruce nodded again. "She's like a daughter to me, to be honest." Both he and Selina were silent for a moment. "Excuse me," Bruce said gruffly at last, turning. "I have business to attend to."

"You're still going out as Batman?" Selina asked in disbelief. "Even though you were fighting off a heart attack earlier?"

"No, I'm not," Wayne confessed. "Someone else took over as Batman. I'm just training him."

"Oh," the woman stated in acknowledgment, despite not completely understanding him._ How can he train someone when he needs a cane to hold himself up?_ she wondered. Instead of asking him questions, she allowed him to leave the room and go down the staircase behind the big clock. She laid back down on the couch._ I'm surprised that he didn't remember that I was a thief, but at the same time I'm not offended: my thieving days are well over._ Selina closed her eyes, allowing sleep to overwhelm her senses.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Yep, Dick Grayson is Coba's grandfather. In Chapter 1, I had originally put down that his eyes were dark blue, but changed it to light blue to match the comics (both official _Batman_ ones and the recent _Batman Beyond_ ones) and to not immediately give away his relationship with Coba. When I began thinking about who Coba's grandparents would be (when I was still working on the _BOTF_ (_Batgirl of the Future_) version of "The Call"), I knew I wanted Selina Kyle to be her grandmother. I immediately listed Dick as Coba's grandfather, but I had second thoughts when I discovered that someone else had named him as the grandfather of their OC in their own story arc. Not wanting to disrespect the author, I decided to take a look at other candidates. No one else really peaked at my interest or had a history with Selina and was a good guy (Tim Drake being too young, Jason Todd not being in any of my stories, Alfred being too old, and Bruce already being Coba and Terry's father (which is revealed in the _Justice League Unlimited_ episode "Epilogue," though it talks about Terry being Bruce's son since Coba was not created by the Batman Beyond creators)), so I finally decided that I'd stick with Dick anyway. No disrespect is meant towards the other author.**

**I know: kinda corny having Selina regret her actions towards Coba, but I couldn't figure out how to work it out in the story if Selina kept holding a grudge towards Coba. It wouldn't really help the outcome of the story, now would it?**

_**Why did you include Tim Drake in the previous chapter and this one?**_

**Well, adding Tim Drake was really an attempt to throw readers off. A weak attempt, really, considering that he was too young when Selina was still in Gotham to be romantically involved with her and that I didn't include much of him. I actually wanted to have him aid Dick and Coba as Red Robin (his superhero name in the _Batman_ comics), but that got to be too complicated to have, so I only had him as a very minor character. I might include him as Red Robin later on in this fic or others, though. Funny thing, actually, since Coba is loosely based on the comic-book version of him: both lost their mother before their father was killed; both are smart; and both started out with little combat skills.**

**This was a really hard chapter to write. The next chapter will be a bit harder, though I at least have an idea of what I want to accomplish in it. It'll have some of the same elements this one had, but will hopefully have some more action than this one did.**

**One major question still remains: Why is Wheeler trying to break the wills of the teens at his ranch? What does he have planned? Will Selina and Coba be able to reconcile? Okay, those were three questions, but still major ones.**

**Please leave a review in the box below and have a good rest of your day! :)**


	7. Chapter 6: Return to the Manor

**Author's Notes:**

**This chapter's finally done! Whew, this was hard to write: dang writer's block and high anxiety levels! Any-who, here it is. Please read and enjoy...**

* * *

_Batgirl ran through the long cement hallway, hearing only the quick yet quiet padding of the silencing pads on the bottom of her suit's feet hit the concrete floor and her heavy breathing from running so hard. She stopped behind a corner after a few more moments of running. _I think I lost them_, she thought._

_Two guards suddenly bumped into her, causing her hit the ground with a pained grunt. Several men ran over to where she lay and pointed their rifles at her as her captors cuffed her wrists behind her back. Coba heard footsteps nearby and saw Terry and Sean walking by, herded on by guards. She heard the sound of another body hitting the ground, and was dismayed to see Nightwing laying there, bound by his wrists and ankles with handcuffs. They locked their eyes apologetically for a moment before the men cocked their guns. _

_"Stay calm, kid," Dick's voice said to her. "Focus on the task at hand instead of your fear."_

_Doctor Wheeler stepped forward, interrupting his men. He regarded the two vigilantes scornfully for a moment, then turned to his men. "Do away with them both," he commanded._

_Without warning, a whip lashed out at the head guard's hands, wrenching the gun out of them. The other guards lowered their guns as Dick and Coba turned their heads in surprise to see Catwoman land between them and the guards. She quickly glanced at Coba. "Use those claws, kid!" she instructed before she hurled herself at Wheeler..._

_...who had pulled out a gun and squeezed the trigger as she did so._

"Coba?" a voice said gently.

Brooklyn sat up with a jolt, letting out a gasp of alarm. She looked up to see Grayson through terrified eyes for a moment before her frantic mind registered his presence. Coba closed her eyes and let out a shuddering sigh. "Sorry," she apologized quietly. "Nightmare. T-they had Terry."

"It's okay, kid. Try to calm down," the man instructed, keeping his tone calm to not upset his sensitive granddaughter more than she was already.

Coba breathed deeply and slowly for a moment, doing as Dick had requested. "I saw her get shot," she murmured. "And saw her get stabbed at the same time."

"What do you mean?" Dick inquired, a bit baffled. "Who are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Selina," Coba said solemnly, opening her eyes once more, "but at the same time I'm talking about Mom."

Nightwing noticed her hesitation to speak further. "What happened, kid? What did you see?"

"I'm not completely sure," Coba confessed after another moment's hesitation. "One second, I was in Wheeler's ranch, seeing Selina jump in front of Wheeler's gun. The next, I was behind a door with slanted shutters, watching as a knife pierced through my mother's heart. Those scenes flashed in between each other until—until—" She stopped, unable to find her voice. Coba began to shake once more, closing her eyes again as they welled up with tears. "I thought I'd get used to these feelings after having nightmares almost every night," she said sadly, her voice barely audible.

Dick gently pulled the girl into a hug. "It's okay, kid," he said reassuringly. "The nightmare's over."

"I'm afraid it's not," Coba choked, hugging him back. "Wheeler hasn't been stopped yet. Until he is, the nightmare will keep on growing, consuming everything in its path, until it is too big to be stopped."

"He _will_ be stopped, Coba," Richard promised her. "One way or another."

"But will he be stopped in time? That question bothers me."

"It bothers me, too," Dick confessed.

Brooklyn was silent for a moment. She looked up at Grayson. "How do you hide your fear from your enemies, Grandfather?" she inquired. "Even when they catch you by surprise?"

"I just focus on my main goal: stopping the criminals." He noticed Coba's doubtful look. "It's not easy, but it works."

To his relief, Coba nodded in understanding. "Okay," she said, "I'll give it a try sometime. Thank you."

"Any time, kid."

~!~

It was several hours later, in the middle of the afternoon, that Dick and Coba arrived at the large outside entrance of the Batcave. Bruce, as he said he would, had called them a few hours after their discussion, asking if Coba was ready to return home. The girl said she was, even though she was not completely comfortable with doing so. She and Dick knew Selina would still be there, and both did not like the idea of Coba facing her again, but she knew she would have to face her grandmother at some point. Aside from Selina, Terry and Dana were also with Bruce, talking about their findings at the ranch. Nightwing and Batgirl silently entered the cave by foot after the older hero camouflaged the Wingcycle.

"What do we need more evidence for?" Terry's confused voice echoed through the cave. "You took the feed from our finger-tip mics, didn't you? All you gotta do is take it to the authorities!"

"And what do I say when they ask me where I got it?" Bruce inquired, keeping a calm yet grave composure. "A couple little bats left it on my front porch?"

Terry was about to protest, but realized Bruce's point. "Oh," he said, scratching his head to try to find another solution.

Dana, however, was not as understanding as her boyfriend. "I thought you said you were friends with the commissioner, the first Batgirl," she stated in bewilderment. "Wouldn't she listen to you?"

Bruce had a tough time keeping his composure. _I swear this girl is hard to get messages through to sometimes_, he thought irritably. "Yes, but—"

"Then why can't you just give it to her?"

"Because the mayor will hear about her being in league with vigilantes without his consent, possibly uncovering her past as Batgirl, and fire her before Wheeler's brainwashing scheme is stopped," a young female voice answered before Bruce could.

McGinnis was the first to recognize the voice. "Coba!" he cried out in surprise and relief, turning to see his half-sister walking towards them with Grayson behind her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Coba gently reassured him.

"Where were you last night and this morning?" Dana asked the small girl curiously, already understanding what Brooklyn had said about Barbara.

"I—uh—" Coba stopped uncomfortably.

"She was with me," Dick answered, noticing his granddaughter's distress.

Terry placed a reassuring hand on Coba's shoulder, also noticing her discomfort. "Rough night?"

Coba looked into his eyes solemnly. "Very," she said in a quiet voice.

"But how did you know that Wheeler's brainwashing the kids?" Dana inquired her young friend.

Brooklyn hesitated, feeling her stress rise from recalling her misadventures. After a moment, she closed her eyes and heaved a small sigh before telling her brother and his girlfriend about her encounter with Jennifer Vreeland and the guards from Wheeler's ranch. "Grayson told me the Drakes took Jennifer home before I woke up," she concluded. _Almost called him 'Grandfather,' even after we agreed not to tell Terry and Dana about our relations just yet_, she noted, a bit irritated with herself.

Dana was still perplexed about something. "Why did you go to Blüdhaven? It's not like you to leave Wayne alone on such short notice unless you're going as Batgirl."

"It was my fault."

Everyone turned their heads in surprise to see Selina standing a few steps up from the bottom of the stairwell. Her face was one of pure solemnity.

Terry turned to Coba. "What's she talking about, sis?" he inquired concernedly.

"I'll explain later, bro," Coba replied, still looking in Kyle's direction a bit tensely. _Or Bruce, Grandfather, or Selina will_, she mentally noted.

"Who is that?" Dana inquired defensively. "Should she be in the cave?"

"Selina Kyle, the first Catwoman," Bruce answered in a low voice. "And no, she shouldn't be in the cave, but I doubt she's going to cause trouble."

_I'll make sure of that_, Dick thought, narrowing his one eye angrily and placing a protective hand on Coba's shoulder.

The girl barely noticed Grayson's hand as she watched Selina walk down the remaining steps and approach the Bats. _Stay calm, kid_, she thought to herself,_ and speak only if talked to._

"What's going on that's got all of you gathered like this?" Selina inquired curiously.

Everyone hesitated. Bruce turned to Coba. "You think we can trust her with the information we have?" he inquired quietly.

Coba nodded. "I think so. I don't sense anything that tells me otherwise." She mentally slapped herself when she noticed Selina looking at her quizzically. _Great, now she has the notion that I'm psychic!_

"She's right, you can trust me," Selina stated, much to Coba's surprise and relief. "It's not like I'm going to run around telling people about it and get arrested." _I'll turn myself in when I feel it's time for me to do so_, Coba heard her think. "Now, who's going to tell me what's going on?"

Despite the warning glance she received from Dick, Coba told her grandmother about what had been going on the past few days concerning the situation with Doctor Wheeler they have been dealing with. Catwoman nodded in acknowledgement once the girl was done speaking. "I see. How do you plan to stop him?"

"I'm not sure," Coba confessed, hiding her unease at Selina's question. "I only know that it won't be easy."

"I think I've got a solution," Terry spoke up. He turned to Bruce. "Do you still have that plastic video camera? You know, the one that can't be seen through metal detectors?"

Bruce nodded sagely. "I have it." His expression became even more grave. "You're not thinking of going there yourself, are you?"

Terry grinned at him. "Some things are just too big for Batman. That's when Terry McGinnis swings into action."

Wayne raised an eyebrow at his apprentice, but did not try to argue with him. He instead turned to Coba. "What do you think?"

"That it's inappropriate for you to ask me for my opinion when it's Terry's decision," Coba answered in a non-threatening tone. "If he wants my opinion, he'll ask it, though he knows too well what I'd say." _That I don't like this idea at all._

"It'll be fine, Coba," the young Batman calmly assured his half-sister, though there was a hint of irritation in his voice. "I'll take the greatest care."

Brooklyn said nothing, not wishing to upset her brother any more. She instead nodded grimly. _Even the greatest care may not be enough, brother._

~!~

After the conversation in the Batcave, Terry and Dana each went home. Bruce, Coba, Selina and Dick all went upstairs and back into the manor. Ed sat on Coba's shoulder, glaring at Selina and squeaking words at her that only Coba could hear yet not repeat. For the umpteenth time since she first got him, the girl swatted him, not hard enough to knock him down but enough to get him to stop squeaking. "_Be quiet if you can't be nice, Ed!_" Coba ordered in his language. The rat obeyed, but still glared at the woman.

Selina was obviously surprised. "You talk to animals? How are you able to?"

"Well, certain animals," Coba answered. "I built my first animal communicator at the age of ten and learned a few languages, though I built another almost a year ago to freshen up my knowledge of them and learn more."

"Which ones do you know?"

"Dog, cat, rat, mouse, goldfish, gecko, horse, bat... the list goes on. I know only certain languages from wild animals, though, like if they're related to domestic animals."

"What do you mean?" Dick inquired, strangely interested in the conversation as well.

"Like mountain lions and wolves are related to cats and dogs respectively," the girl answered.

"_Show-off,_" Ed muttered.

Coba heard Ed's remark, but decided to let it slide this once. She looked at Selina and Dick. "So, uh... what was it that... er... brought you together?" _Man, I hope my question doesn't spark a big argument!_

"What do you mean?" Selina inquired, a bit confused by Brooklyn's question.

"Well, what was going on when... Sorry," Coba apologized. "It's an uncomfortable subject."

"She basically means to ask what was going on when her mother was conceived," Bruce answered, noticing that Dick was also too uncomfortable about the subject to speak.

Kyle finally caught on. "Oh. Well, shouldn't we wait to talk about it until we're all comfortable with doing so?"

"That might be better. So, what... uh..." Coba stammered uncomfortably. She swallowed before trying again. "What brought you back to Gotham?" _That's better_, she thought.

Selina's face became solemn as she explained what she had told Bruce the previous night. Coba thought over what Selina said once she was finished speaking. "You know, I think I remember briefly hearing Mom talking to someone on the phone or online just before I went for that walk," Coba said quietly. "I had gotten permission to do so before she made the call. I just never knew who she called."

"Now you know," Selina said gravely. "I am sorry, Coba. For your loss and for what I did to you last night."

"I forgive you. But it wasn't your fault Mom was..." Coba trailed off uncomfortably.

"I know, but still. I wish I had noticed the signs earlier."

Brooklyn looked up at her sadly. "I wish I had seen them sooner, as well."

Dick placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault, either of you," he said calmly, speaking to Coba and Selina. "I may have never met Natalie, but I know she'd agree." _You're starting to repeat yourself a bit, Dick_, he realized.

"I-I guess so." Her eyes grew wide with shock after a moment of silence. "Oh, no," she breathed. "Not now."

"What is it?" Dick asked concernedly, his voice quiet.

"She's having a vision," Bruce sagely answered for his young ward. "Coba, why don't you head up to your room? You've been telling me that it's easier for you to calm down when you're in there."

"O-okay," Coba stammered. She stood up with Ed still on her shoulders and limped up the staircase, her eyes still wide, before turning the corner and entering her bedroom. The girl gently shut it behind her.

Selina blinked in shock. "She gets visions?" she asked quietly once Coba had gone upstairs.

"Sometimes, yes," Wayne replied. "Usually in the form of nightmares, though according to her half-brother she has been having more visions than nightmares as of late."

"She has a half-brother?"

"Yes. Same father, different mother."

"Oh." Selina was silent for a moment. "Will Coba be alright on her own while she has that vision?" she inquired concernedly.

Bruce nodded. "She'll be fine," he reassured her. "She's had these before, and she's always pulled through. I'll check on her in a few minutes."

"I'll head up there now," Dick stated gruffly, standing up. "My gut tells me a few minutes will be too late."

Wayne was about to protest, but thought better of it. He trusted his former apprentice's judgment almost as much as he did Coba's. "Alright. Let us know if anything happens."

Dick nodded affirmatively before ascending the stairs as fast as he could. He did not want to disturb Coba in the middle of her vision, yet he knew that he may have to for whatever reason. Coming to a stop in front of the door of Coba's bedroom, which used to be his own, he knocked on the door. "Kid?"

No answer.

"Coba?" he called a bit more gruffly.

Still no answer.

_So much for being civilized_, Nightwing thought irritably. He opened the door cautiously, hoping he did not catch his granddaughter at a bad time. To his dismay—though not so much to his surprise—Brooklyn was already wearing her Batsuit. He knew she was aware of his presence, though she did not turn around. "You're not thinking of going out there, are you?" he asked suspiciously, though very concerned.

"I have to," Coba replied grimly without facing him, pulling on her suit's cobalt blue gloves. "My vision told me that Wheeler has Terry held prisoner, as my nightmare last night had depicted."

"Coba, listen to me," Dick stated, approaching her and turning her around to face him. "You shouldn't go there, at least not alone. You could get captured yourself, maybe even killed."

"You could be, too, you know," Coba shot back.

"'Could' is not a strong enough word to keep me here while my only surviving relative puts her own life at risk," Dick said stubbornly, irritation beginning to show.

Coba looked into his eyes solemnly. "It's not strong enough to keep me from going after my half-brother, either."

Grayson quickly realized that it was pointless to try to argue with the girl, but knew better than to let her completely have her way. "I'm not going to stop you from going after him," he said sagely, "but you're not going to stop me from going as well."

Brooklyn was silent for a few seconds, considering what she heard and what she should do, before sighing in defeat. "Alright, I see your point. There's no way we can talk each other out of doing what we're going to do, and we may as well get over it."

"Pretty much," Dick confirmed. "We'll take the Wingcycle like we did earlier."

"Alright. Better than the mode of transportation I had in mind."

"Which is?"

"Using my suit's gliders and rocket launchers. Would've used up a lot of it's power, though."

Dick nodded in understanding. "Yeah, you really don't want to do that, trust me. You never know when you'll need it."

Coba nodded but said nothing, unsure of how to feel about this team up. _He's certainly going to be a bit more protective of me because we're related_, she noted. _And we seem to have the same thoughts on misusing the power in the suit. Should I be relieved that he's coming along or should I be worried?_

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**I admit, it isn't really structured as well as I wanted it to be, but I'll probably go back at some point and fix it up. The next chapter will have a lot more action. The one after that (if it's not crammed into the next one) will probably be pretty short in comparison, then the one after that will be pretty lengthy and full of action. Yeah, I don't think I'll be able to get this story done by Christmas: I've still got quite a ways to go. Hopefully by Martin Luther King Day, or by Valentine's Day at the latest.**

**Dick obviously has a strong dislike for Selina. Any thoughts on if this relationship will change at all?**

**Please leave a review in the box below (I love reading those!) if you would like to. Have a great day! :)**


	8. Chapter 7: The Resort

About twenty minutes after leaving Wayne Manor without alerting Bruce or Selina, Nightwing brought the Wingcycle to a stop precisely one-half mile away from Wheeler's ranch. He got off the motorcycle while Batgirl got out of the passenger sidecar before they masterfully hid it among the trees and bushes. Coba led the way to the ranch through the woods as they held a whispered conversation.

"Do you have a plan, kid?" Dick inquired.

"For the most part," Coba answered. "It concerns both of us sneaking into the ranch, then splitting up. We'll communicate through the radio."

"Better than having one of us distract the guards while the other goes in," the man noted. "It would give them the impression that there's more than one of us."

"That's what I was thinking," Coba grinned. She frowned with a sudden realization. "I don't really know how the outside of the place looks as far as getting in through there, though."

Grayson shrugged. "We'll figure something out when we get there. Besides, the darkness of the night fall should aid in hiding us."

"Unless they have spotlights. If they do, we'll have to be even more careful. Plus, they'll be even more on guard because Batman and Batwoman were here last night, and were spotted."

"Don't get yourself worked up, kid," Dick whispered, noticing Brooklyn's voice was gaining in volume and that she was beginning to shake. "Are you sure you can pull through this?"

Coba nodded grimly, willing herself to calm down. "I have to. My brother's life depends upon it."

"Maybe we shouldn't split up," Dick said doubtfully. "You might get yourself hurt if you have a panic attack."

"Believe me, the plan may fail if we don't split up," Coba said gravely. "Two are easier to spot than just one." She noticed that her grandfather was not reassured. "I'll be careful, I promise."

Dick sighed. "Alright. Let me know if you run into trouble."

"Okay." _Sheesh, he was overprotective enough before we knew that we're related!_ Coba thought, a little bit peeved. _Well, at least he cares. I wouldn't know what to do if he didn't._

It was not long until they came to a stop at the north wall of the rectangular cement structure surrounding the resort. They climbed up a nearby tree that towered above it, then glided to the top of the wall, catching hold of the outside ledge of it. Seeing that no guards were nearby, they climbed over the edge before sneaking down the nearest stairway. Keeping low to reduce the risk of cating visible shadows, the duo snuck across the lawn to the ventilation system located on the outside of the north wall of the main building. Being careful not to alert the guards, they opened the vent, crawled inside, and then Coba, being smaller and more able to turn around in the vents, quietly closed it behind them. They then ventured through the vents in silence. Coba brought them to a stop when she knew they were about halfway through the building. They quietly exited through the vent they were closest to.

"This is where we'll split up," Coba whispered. "You go through the corridor behind you, and I'll go through the one behind me. We'll try to contact one another through our radios should anything go wrong. If not, push this button." She handed him a small device with a blue button on the top of it. "Good luck."

"Good luck to you, as well," Dick stated grimly, placing the button in his pocket. _You'll need it more than I do, Granddaughter._ Without waiting for a response, he turned around and snuck down the hallway, being careful to stay out of sight.

Coba turned on her suit's camouflage feature before turning around and walking down the corridor. She looked around cautiously once she reached the corner, keeping her eyes open for guards she may bump into. Seeing none, she continued on her dangerous mission, looking through the bars of each door. It was not long until she heard a very familiar voice coming from one as she passed it. _Terry!_ she managed to keep from crying out in relief. She quickly stood up against the wall, careful not to cast a plainly visible shadow, as she listened to the rest of her half-brother's conversation with Sean Miller, who was in the cell next to his.

"So what if we get out and they shut this place down?" Sean said skeptically. "They'll just put me in another place."

"Don't you get it, Sean?" Terry inquired in a whisper. "This is your chance to prove that they're wrong about you."

A silence hung over them for a moment. Coba knew that Sean was thinking over what her brother had said. "Alright, McGinnis," the psychotic teen agreed in a voice neither condescending nor angered, catching both Terry and Coba off guard by his change of attitude. "What's your plan?"

Terry disregarded Sean's change of attitude. "We cooperate with them at first, then we make our move as they go to put us in ISO. Just follow my lead."

"Hey!" a gruff voice shouted. "What do you think you're doing here?!"

Batgirl turned to see a tall, tough-looking guard, wearing a nametag with the name Vincent imprinted on it, standing several feet behind her, glaring and pointing in her direction. She looked down to see that her entire body was visible, realizing that her cloaking device had shut off. _This is what happens when I forget to charge it_, she thought ruefully.

Vincent charged at the girl with a deep growl. She quickly dodged the large man before dashing down the hallway. "We have an intruder!" Vincent yelled into his radio receiver. "It's one of the Bat-freaks! I repeat, we have an intruder!"

Once she was behind the corner and out of sight, Coba pressed a button on the side of her mask. "Nightwing, do you copy?" she whispered into her com-link urgently. "I've been spotted. Be on the lookout for more guards!"

~!~

Back at Wayne Manor, Selina had just exited Coba's bedroom, holding a piece of paper she found on the small teen's bed and reluctantly carrying Ed on her as he climbed up and down, checking every possible pocket. The rat had refused to let Selina take the paper without supervision. _Sheesh, even the _rat_ knows my back-story_, Selina thought ruefully. _I have a feeling the dog does, too._ As the reluctant duo entered the Batcave, where Bruce was sitting in front of the Batcomputer, Ace stood up from where he lay by Bruce and growled at her. _Yep, it appears so. Perhaps they're both also angry with me for how I treated Coba last night?_

Bruce turned in the chair to see his old flame standing there, the great Dane mix advancing on her. "Ace, heel!" he ordered gruffly.

Ace stopped reluctantly, but still glared at her. _Just try anything with Bruce, and I'll tear you apart._

"Any sign of them?" Bruce asked Selina.

Selina gravely handed the paper she found to Bruce. "Only this. I haven't read it."

Wayne took the paper before studying it. His eyes went from seriously squinted to a worried, widened expression. He looked at the woman. "They've gone to the ranch," his voice cracked.

It was Selina's turn to be concerned. _I don't think I've ever seen Bruce this scared before. He really _does_ care about her. As if it wasn't obvious last night! _After a brief moment, she set Ed on Ace before turning to leave.

"Where are you going?" Bruce asked concernedly.

"I'm going after them," Selina answered. "If the things you and the other Bats say about that place are true, they'll need back up."

"They can handle themselves, even if Coba has a panic attack. I can feel it."

"Well, I'm not going to stay here and hope you're right," Selina said flatly. "I'm going. Besides, I didn't stay in this good of shape over the years just to sit around and wait when I could help."

Bruce wanted to keep trying to convince Selina to stay, that her presence at the ranch may scare Coba even more badly than she probably was already, but realized that he could not do such. Her mind was already made up. "Alright, but be careful."

"Don't I always?" Selina said with a smirk.

"Well—" Bruce began, knowing the contrary.

"Rhetorical question. Mind if I take the Batmobile? I'll return it," she promised.

"Take the Batcycle," the first Batman responded. "It'll be easier for you to operate than the Batmobile. And yes, I want you to return it. Wait a minute," he said after a moment, stopping Selina as she turned to leave, "you can't go like that."

"I can't go dressed like a Bat, either," Selina retorted.

"I wasn't going to suggest that." Wayne reached into a cupboard located below the computer and pulled out a gray suit with a gray and black mask and a whip. "Here's your first Catwoman costume, if you'd like to wear it instead."

Catwoman nodded in surprise as she accepted her old suit, and then went into a cavern in the cave to change. After doing so, she turned on the Batcycle. She turned to Bruce and managed a smile. "Thank you, Bruce. I'll be back soon!" She blew him a kiss before driving the advanced motorcycle out of the Batcave.

Wayne watched solemnly as Selina left. "I hope you will be, Selina," he murmured.

~!~

Nightwing was at the other side of the resort when he received Coba's warning. "I copy, Batgirl," he whispered into his radio. "I'm on my way."

"_No! Don't come!"_ Coba's voice answered quietly in an anxious tone. _"Get out of here, now!"_

The sound of footsteps grew closer to Dick before he could respond. The one-eyed man ducked just in time as a fist was about to slam into his upper back and flipped the owner over himself, slamming them to the concrete floor. He was not surprised to see that his attacker was a guard, but his sense of urgency as nevertheless heightened. Without waiting for the guard to stand up, he turned and ran back down the corridor.

"I just spotted Nightwing in the vacinity!" he heard the guard say urgently into his radio. "I repeat, Nightwing is in the vacinity!"

"Vincent spotted Batgirl as well," a guard said as he rounded the corner, not noticing Dick slipping past him. "Keep your eyes open: Batman could be nearby as well."

Dick came to a stop behind the nearest corner. He cautiously slipped across the wall, careful to stay out of view of the windows, then risked a glance around the opposite corner. Not seeing anyone nearby, he went to move forward. He realized too late that he had neglected looking behind him, for he felt a gun barrel being pressed against the upper back part of his neck.

"Hold it right there," a gruff voice ordered. "Unless you want your brains splattered on the floor."

Grayson did not favor the idea of giving in, but not as much as he did not want to risk Coba seeing his corpse. He held up his hands in surrender.

That was not, however, before he pressed the distress button Coba had given him.

~!~

Batgirl was on the run from guards again when she received her grandfather's distress signal. _Oh no_, she thought despairingly. _My nightmares are coming true!_ She mentally slapped herself. _Come on, kid: focus! You can't help your grandfather or half-brother if you're panicking. Will word get out about what Wheeler's really doing, though? Aside from Jennifer's account, which no one will believe except us? There's only one way I can think of._ Coba quickly yet silently reentered the ventilation system, closing the entrance behind her. She turned on her com-link as she cupped her hand over her mouth so she could still speak while lowering the chances of being heard throughout the vents. "Bruce, do you copy?" she whispered.

"Coba! What's going on?" Bruce inquired concernedly in a loud voice.

"Not so loud," Coba requested. "I'm hiding in the vent system to talk to you and I don't want my position to be given away."

"Sorry," Wayne apologized, greatly lowering his voice. "What's the problem?"

"You need to call Gordon, and tell her she needs to send some of her men over here."

"Do you have any idea of how hard telling her to do something is? Also, your grandmother is on her way over to the ranch right now. The police will arrest her on the spot if they see her."

The girl's eyes widened as she felt panic try to grip control of her. _Oh, dregs: not Grandmother too! The nightmares really _are_ coming true!_ She let out yet another small sigh. _I'm afraid stopping Wheeler has to be the top priority._ "You'll have to try it," she said gravely. "Grandfather's been captured, and as we speak Wheeler's brainwashing the kids here! If you don't, this whole nightmare with Wheeler will get too big for anyone to stop. As much as I don't want my grandmother arrested so soon, nor do I really _want_ her here right now to possibly die, I fear it's a risk we'll have to take. I don't care if she forgives me for this decision, but I can only hope she'll understand one day.."

Coba heard her legal guardian's silence, then heard a sigh of despair come from him. "You're right. I'll contact Barbara. And don't worry about Selina: she'll understand. Be careful."

"Alright. Thanks."

"Don't thank me until you get out of there alive." With that, Bruce switched off the audio link to do as his young ward requested.

If _I get out of here alive_, Brooklyn thought grimly. After checking to see if anyone was coming and seeing no one, she exited the vent. She resumed running through the long cement hallway, hearing only the quick yet quiet padding of the silencing pads on the bottom of her suit's feet hitting the concrete floor and her heavy breathing from running so hard. She stopped behind a corner after a few more moments to catch her breath. _I think I lost them_, she thought.

Two guards suddenly rammed themselves into Coba, causing her to hit the ground with a pained grunt. Several men ran over to where she lay and pointed their rifles at her as her captors cuffed her wrists behind her back. She heard the sound of another body hitting the ground, and was dismayed to turn her head and see Nightwing laying there, bound by his wrists and ankles with handcuffs. They locked their eyes apologetically for a moment before the men cocked their guns, ready to fire.

"Vincent, what's all this?"

The guards and the vigilantes all turned in surprise to see a gray-haired man walk towards them, his face stern. "I specifically told you not to use your guns in the building. The bullets can ricochet and hit the teens or yourselves. If you're going to shoot any one, shoot them outside."

"Sorry, sir," Vincent apologized dutifully as the other guards hung their heads in shame.

"You're lucky that I'm cutting you slack this time." He cast a rueful glance at Dick and Coba. "What are you two doing here?" he demanded to know.

Coba was unable to mask her fear, for she recognized the man in front of them from her nightmares and the commercials advertising the ranch and breathed out his name: "Doctor David Wheeler."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Yeah, first suspenseful note in a while. Well, ending a chapter on one, that is. This was certainly easier and quicker to write than the previous one! XD**

**It certainly looks like Coba's nightmare from the previous chap is going to come true, doesn't it? What are Wheeler's motives for brainwashing the teenagers? Will Bruce be able to contact Barbara? What will happen when Selina arrives? Am I asking too many questions? Sorry, can't be helped.**

**Please enjoy the rest of your day, have yourselves a Merry Christmas (and a Happy New Year, if I don't update this story before then), and, if you'd like to, leave a review in the box below (I love reading those!)! :D**


	9. Chapter 8: Doctor Wheeler

**Author's Notes:**

**Hi again, everyone! Hope you had a good Christmas (well, holiday, whatever you wanna call it)! Here's Chapter 8 and, as the title probably gave away to you, it's about Doctor Wheeler's plans. (Warning: this does contain a reference to a suicide, so proceed with caution.) Without further ado, here it is...**

* * *

"What are you two doing here?!" Doctor Wheeler demanded to know a second time.

Both Nightwing and Batgirl remained silent. The oldest of the two vigilantes kept a stoic gaze despite his current situation, but the youngest still could not hide her terror.

Wheeler, enraged, turned to Vincent. "Do away with them both. Just take them outside to do it," he reminded firmly.

"Yes, sir," Vincent saluted. The psychiatrist turned to leave.

"Wait a minute!"

Coba's sudden shout caused everyone, including Grayson, to look at her in surprise. Wheeler was the first to glower at her irritably. "What do you want, runt?"

Coba was about to speak again, but her voice refused to come out from her throat. She felt panic begin to take over her senses. _This is it. We're going to die._

"Stay calm, kid," she swore she heard Dick's voice say. "Focus on the task at hand instead of your fear."

_But how can I stay calm if I'm not even calm at all?_ Coba wondered anxiously. _Unless... _She realized something, managing to hide her pleasure from her captors and her own grandfather._ Unless I can use my fear to my advantage._ She looked at Wheeler, still terrified though in more control of it. "Why are you doing this to the kids?" she asked. "What do you hope to gain?"

David glared even more fiercely at her. "What makes you think I'll answer any of those questions?"

"You asked why we were here, and it was to find out the answers to those questions," Coba only partially fibbed, keeping her voice as terrified as she really was. _I don't know if that was another reason why Grandfather came, but it was definitely a reason why I'm here._ "Besides, you're going to have us killed, aren't you?"

After receiving a hand signal from Wheeler, Vincent kicked Brooklyn in her side, causing her to gasp in pain and roll onto her back with her bound hands between it and the cement floor. "Use those claws, kid!" the girl thought she heard Selina say. Without having to think it over very long, Coba realized what her grandmother's voice meant. Silently and without shifting her body or her horror, she unsheathed her suit's claws and began picking her handcuff's locks.

Dick struggled hard to get to her, though his being handcuffed as well made it very difficult to do so. "Leave her alone!" he yelled gruffly. In response, however, another guard simply slammed his boot into his back, just inches away from where the bullet near his spine was sitting.

Wheeler grinned menacingly, almost causing Coba to shudder. "You see, Batgirl? Your friend here does not like to see you hurt. This is simply because he, like practically every adult in Gotham, fears for the safety of children."

_It's not as simple as that, Wheeler_, Coba thought:_ we're friends, allies, partners when it comes to fighting crime... and kin._

"But, even more so," Wheeler continued, "the adults also fear the children. Why else would they be here if their parents and the other adults were not afraid of them? Or of what they're capable of? I took the latter of these questions into consideration several months ago after dealing with a patient of mine who was psychologically deranged, and whose parents were afraid of him. He had already stolen police vehicles and lashed out at his parents."

The man's expression became even more grave, even somewhat saddened. "I had done all I could to help them, but his parents thought I was a phony. A few weeks later, I learned that the boy had escaped from an asylum his parents placed him in, and he had left me a note on my office desk requesting my presence at his house that night. I did not want to disappoint him: I felt that I had done so already.

"I arrived at the young man's home at the time he requested. To my horror, he stood with a machine gun in his hands. His parents lay dead on the floor in front of him, several rounds of bullets in their bodies. He claimed to have done it for me, for it had been them who hurt my ego by sending him somewhere else. I told him it was not what I wanted, and that he had done it for himself, for it was he who felt the pain for what they had done. He yelled at me, saying he thought I'd understand... but I did, although I didn't say it before he held the gun to his own head and..." Wheeler trailed off, turning his gaze away from his literally captive audience as he did so.

Batgirl felt a pang of sympathy for the man, knowing that he was indeed telling the truth as far as his feelings and words were concerned, but was still very tense about him. She continued listening once he recollected himself after a moment, and she continued picking the remaining lock of her handcuffs.

"While I was in the hospital to be looked over for wounds—both physical and psychological—I began thinking of how that boy had made his parents afraid of him, how he made the city afraid... and how he made _me_ afraid. Then it hit me: the perfect way to get revenge on those parents and the city officials responsible for turning these children into monsters through neglect, abuse, discrimination, and or lack of discipline. The revenge is not for my own gain, mind you, but for the gains of the children under my tutelage."

"More like under your _command_!" Nightwing growled. "You're _brainwashing_ them, depriving them of their wills and abilities to decide. Heartlessly, I'll add!"

"My tone is only heartless to aid with speeding up the process, Nightwing," Wheeler said sagely. "I'm doing this for them for their own goods."

"You mean for _yours_!" Coba suddenly exploded, surprising everyone once more including herself. "Like the kid you say killed his parents, your mind had tricked you into thinking certain individuals want what you desire, which is death and destruction to those who've wronged you!" _Did I seriously just disrespect the dead?_ she thought, surprised by her own words. _**And**__ somehow figure out how Wheeler's mind works?_

Vincent pulled out an electric cattle prod and struck Coba with it, shocking her and causing her to scream in pain. He pulled it away after a moment, allowing her to stop and regain her breath. "Watch your tongue, you crippled runt!" he spat.

_He knows about my bad leg_, Brooklyn realized in surprise. She looked at her right leg and realized why: the cattle prod's electricity had disabled the extra strength in her suit's right side to support her right foot, which was now drooping down from lack of support. _Well, this is just peachy_, she thought sarcastically.

"That's enough, Vincent!" Wheeler barked as Vincent moved to prod Coba again. "I do not like her words towards me, though that does not give you permission to hurt her without my saying so..."

Coba was no longer listening to Wheeler lecturing Vincent as a disturbing sight passed by. Terry and Sean were being herded by two tall and strong guards. _To the ISO_, she realized despairingly. To her relief, the teens did not look in the direction of her and Nightwing. _Well, at least they won't feel more helpless: that may mess up their plans._

"Do away with them both," Wheeler ordered for the second time after a brief moment.

Vincent roughly grabbed Batgirl by her shoulders to pull her to her feet, causing her to gasp in alarm. Dick, noticing his granddaughter's discomfort, suddenly looped his cuffed hands over his legs and slammed the links together, breaking the cuffs, before grabbing the guard's left hand and slamming his fist into the villain's face. Vincent released Coba before tackling Dick to the floor, pulling out his cattle prod once more to electrocute him.

Without warning, Coba unlocked the last link in her handcuffs and slashed her suit's claws across Vincent's back. The guard let out a yell of pain before the girl shoved him away from her grandfather, causing him to drop the prod to the floor. The other guards and Wheeler were frozen with shock, giving Coba the time she needed to free Grayson from the cuffs still locked around his ankles. She helped him stand up as the villains recovered. The two vigilantes stood back to back, facing their opponents as they did so.

"Forget the risk of ricochet!" Vincent yelled to Wheeler and the other guards as he stood back up, grabbing the cattle prod. "Shoot them!"

"No, you idiots!" Wheeler yelled. "You'll hurt the teens in their cells! You do this you're fired, do you hear me?!"

The guards, despite Wheeler's warnings to fire them, raised their guns at Batgirl and Nightwing, ready to fire their weapons.

* * *

**_Oh, you_ had _to end it on a suspenseful note, didn't you?_**

**Yes, yes I did. I know it, I'm bad. :P**

**What did you guys think of the little back story I added for Wheeler? Was it too much? Too little? Or just right? I really wanted to add one because all the episode "The Last Resort" really stated about him was that he was a child psychologist who was really brainwashing the kids sent to him. I wondered, "What if he was really an honest man but was seen incorrectly, and something caused him to snap?" And no, I don't support suicide. I've been in that state of mind before, it's not fun, and I don't support it. I'm very much against it, though I don't disrespect anyone with the thoughts.**

**Please leave a review below and have a great rest of your day! :D**


	10. Chapter 9: Exodus

Nightwing threw a wing-ding at the guards in front of him, disarming them, as Batgirl did the same thing to the guards in front of her, though with a batarang. Only one guard was not disarmed by the duo: Vincent. He grinned wickedly as he aimed the barrel at Coba. To everyone's surprise, a whip ripped through the air at Vincent, wrapping around his hands and causing him to drop the deadly weapon. A gray female figure dropped down from the ceiling and landed next to the vigilantes, who recognized her immediately. _Catwoman!_ they both thought in surprise.

Without saying a word, Catwoman sprang at two of the guards. The other four guards, including Vincent, charged at Dick and Coba. The older vigilante slammed his fists into the faces of two of the guards before kicking them both to the ground, rendering them both unconscious. He watched as Selina almost effortlessly dealt the guards she was fighting a punch that immediately knocked them senseless. _Did Wheeler _seriously_ hire guards that can't take a beating?_ he wondered ruefully.

For Coba, fighting Vincent and the other guard proved to be more problematic due to her right leg not having the support it needed to jump and kick—as doing either of those activities would result in further injury to her leg—and her upper body strength not being as remarkable as Nightwing's. She was outnumbered by strength and size, but knew that her strategy and skill would tip the scales in her favor. Coba quickly limped between them and down the hall, getting them to chase her at a much faster pace. _This'll at least give me more room_, she thought. Just as Vincent got close enough to jab her with the electric prod, she swiftly dropped to the ground, dodging the prod as she did so. Vincent could not stop himself as he tripped over her. He landed hard with his own prod between him and the concrete floor. The weapon shocked him until Coba rolled him off of it so he would not die, though the pain knocked him out. The remaining guard moved to pin the girl down, but she managed to trip him and got on top of him. She punched him twice in the face, which was enough to knock him out. Coba stood back up and limped back to where her grandparents stood several yards away.

Selina turned her attention to Wheeler as Coba approached them. She flexed the claws of her gloves, a venomous glare in her eyes. Grayson knew what she was about to do, but could not find it in his heart to stop her: he held too much hate towards Wheeler. "Tell me something, Doctor," Selina hissed as she walked towards the man in question. "Have you ever felt the claws of a cat being raked across your chest?" With a snarl, she raised her clawed right hand to strike...

...as David drew out a pistol from beneath his suit jacket, causing Selina to stop in alarm. "Have you ever felt a bullet pierce your heart, cat?" _No need to worry about ricochet right now_, he thought darkly: _the bullet's not going to go back out of her._ He placed a finger on the trigger, ready to pull it.

"No!"

Coba's horrified yell pierced through the hearts of Grayson, Kyle, and Wheeler as she threw a batarang at the villain. The batarang struck Wheeler's hand, causing him to drop the gun. Fortuneately, the weapon did not go off. Realizing he was in serious trouble and unable to beat the three legends, Wheeler turned and fled down the hall. Selina moved to follow him, but she felt a small yet strong hand grip her wrist.

"He's getting away, Coba!" she spat.

"No, he's not," Coba said sagely. "He's only trying to. Something tells me he'll get caught by someone, though I don't know who." She released her grandmother once she knew the woman had taken in her words and abandoned trying to chase the doctor.

"We'd better get moving," Nightwing stated. "These kids are counting on us."

Brooklyn nodded in agreement. "You're right." She turned to Selina. "What are you gonna do?"

"Well, although I'd rather go back to the manor than stick around in this horrid place," Selina said a bit disdainfully, "I'll stay and help you two."

"Alright," Coba said. "I have something of a plan. Both of you: look for a way to free the kids from their cells."

"Like this?" Selina inquired with a smirk, pulling a card from the unconscious Vincent's belt.

"Yeah, that'll be helpful," Coba stated, feeling a bit stupid for not thinking of using the card sooner. She managed to hide her disappointment of herself. "You guys do that," she said in a quiet voice. "I'll go help Terry and Sean." She rushed down the hallway without waiting for her companions to respond.

Dick watched her leave in amusement, stifling a chuckle. _Yep, that's our granddaughter: leaving without letting others get a word in. Well, and impulsive._ He and the old former thief moved quickly down the hallway.

Batgirl came to a stop in front of the doorway to the ISO after a moment of running, despite her limp. She cautiously peered into the window, and saw Terry and Sean standing beside two guards. Terry nodded to Sean before they started to go into the ISO cells. Without warning, McGinnis spun on his heel and kicked the guard next to him in the stomach. Miller turned on the guard nearest to him as well and punched him, knocking him out. The guard Terry struck got back up and gripped Terry in a headlock. Coba, knowing Terry could not get away, dashed in and slammed herself into the guard's back, causing him to release her half-brother. The guard regained his balance, then grabbed Coba and threw her into an ISO cell. He was about to close it behind her when a painting canvas was broken over his head, rendering him unconscious. The girl limped out of the cell and looked at her savior in surprise to see a somewhat dazed Adam. He bowed at her in acknowledgement for what he did. Coba grinned thankfully before she, Terry and Sean left the room, allowing Adam to stay in the room a little longer before he walked out.

"Batgirl!" Terry said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Getting all of you out of here, of course!" Coba answered.

"And how do you plan to do _that_?" Sean asked with a snort. "There are more kids than just us!"

"I know," Coba replied as calmly as she could despite her rising impatience with the psychologically challenged teen. "It's being taken care of."

Before Terry or Sean could inquire her further, all of the cell doors opened up. The orange-wearing inhabitants of each cell ran out, yelling out joyously for being free of their cells at last. However, several guards came chasing after them, resulting in a brutal fight. Sean was surprised when Terry punched a guard unconscious. "I thought you wanted to get out!"

"You go!" Terry said urgently.

Sean narrowed his eyes irritably, then shrugged. "Kay." He ran down the hallway, evading the guards as he went.

Coba watched Terry run the other way until she felt a fist slam into her back, causing her to fall to the floor. She looked up in surprise to see a guard standing over her. The guard threw himself to the ground to pin her down, but she managed to roll to the side, despite the small amount of space caused by the fighting teens taking up most of the hallway. The young warrior stood up as the guard did as well. She was about to charge at him when she felt another pair of hands seize her from behind and lift her from the ground. The first guard to attack her slammed a fist into her stomach. Though Coba was greatly pained, she tucked her knees into her stomach and turned on her suit's rocket launchers. The blast from her feet sent her attacker and captor backwards into the opposite walls, narrowly missing contact with some of the imprisoned teens. The guard holding her released her and slipped into unconsciousness. The other guard got up again, ready to attack again, but was instantly knocked out by the girl's fist.

"Batgirl, look out!" Coba heard Nightwing's voice yell urgently.

Brooklyn turned her head and saw Grayson and Selina sprint over to her, then turned it the other way to see many more guards charging in their direction. She shot a few sets of bolas at the feet of the guards at the front of the group, catching their feet and tripping them. The guards directly behind them tripped over them, but the remaining officials dodged around them. Coba saw them grab objects from their belts and immediately recognized the things. "Gas!" she yelled out in warning.

Grayson was the first to process his granddaughter's warning. "Fall back!" he yelled to Catwoman, Coba and the other teens. "Batgirl, come on!" _I'm afraid there's nothing else we can do about it, kid._

Upon receiving her grandfather's call and thoughts, Coba threw a few smoke pellets down in front of her, then turned and bolted after the retreating figures with the advantage of the guards being unable to see them. One of the guards charged through the smoke regardlessly and quickly caught up to Coba, grabbing her by her left arm. The girl swung her right fist at the man's fist, but he managed to catch it before she could hit him. He slammed her into the nearest wall, eliciting a pained cry from her in response.

Coba felt her anxiety heighten as he prepared to punch her face, and was at first overcome by it. She looked over at Nightwing and Catwoman, who could only watch tensely, being too far away to aid her. _I can't let them lose another family member_, she thought. _All three of us lost my mom already and feel it, although Grandfather never knew she was his daughter until now, nor did he even know her at all. I can't let them carry the burden of losing me as well._

Narrowing her eyes into a competitive, fierce Batglare, Coba slammed her fully functional foot between the man's legs. The guard dropped her with a pained scream that almost could have passed as a woman's scream. The small warrior got back up onto her feet before slamming a fist into the doubled-over guard's face, knocking him senseless. She quickly ran as fast as she could through the corridor as more guards came out and threw smoke bombs at her. Coba threw a batarang, hitting all of them with it with one throw, and knocked them back. The gas went off upon impact, but Coba was able to hold her breath and see where she was going as she ran.

The teens and costumed individuals bolted to the back of the corridor, where they found themselves cornered by the guards. Batgirl protectively placed herself in front of the teens as if daring the guards to come any closer. Nightwing and Catwoman stood at either side of her, glaring at their oppressors as well. The one-eyed man was ready to throw his wing-dings at them, while the old woman pulled out her whip. The guard leading the charge grinned malignantly as he pulled out a gas can. "We've got them now!" Without waiting another moment, he threw the can at the crowd.

It was at that moment that Terry returned in his Batsuit and flew in front of the large group of people, knocking the gas can back towards the guards. Only two guards came out, having managed to stay conscious, coughing from the smoke. Batman rammed each guard in the face with his fists, knocking them unconscious, then landed on the ground in front of the teens. The three remaining guards charged at him, but two were met by a spinkick before he knocked out the remaining one with a solid punch. The prisoners cheered for Batman's actions. Just as Terry turned to tell the teens to leave, they gasped in shock. _They were cheering for me a moment ago_, he thought, confused. _Why are they afraid of me?_

"Behind you!" Coba yelled to him, charging forward.

Terry could not turn in time to see Vincent jab his prod at him, which immediately stabbed the young Dark Knight in the back. Terry fell to the ground and rolled to the side as Vincent tried to stab the weapon down upon him. The weapon instead stabbed the floor, but did not shock anyone.

Batgirl charged headlong into Vincent, knocking him off balance and causing him to drop the cattle prod. He regained his balance, then gripped her in a tight headlock. The girl tried to wriggle free, but his grip was too strong. She instinctively tracted out her suit's gloves' claws. _So much for not using these "nails" on people_, she thought grimly. Without another moment's hesitation, she slashed the claws on both gloves across the man's back, drawing blood as she did so.

Vincent let out a pained yell as he released Coba in surprise. The small warrior managed to find her balance before dodging a punch from the large guard. She threw a strong punch at him, only for him to grab her fist in his much stronger hand. He grabbed her arm with his other hand and threw her at the nearest wall. Batman, who had stood back up during this fight, managed to keep his balance as he caught his half-sister, helping her stand as well. Vincent charged at them with an angry snarl, but they were ready for him. Coba drilled her fist into his stomach, then Terry slammed his fist into Vincent's face. The guard fell to the floor in an unconscious heap.

Coba straightened herself, then raised her head towards the north side of the building. She tilted her head to the side as if listening for something amid the excited cheering of the teenagers for a moment. "I hear the sirens outside," she whispered into her com-link for her companions to hear. She then turned to the adolescents and raised her voice. "Head for the main entrance!" she instructed urgently. "A reliable source tells us that the police and your legal guardians are outside. We'll make sure that the guards don't follow you, but be ready to fight some off if necessary. Now go!"

The freed prisoners looked at each other in surprise and relief before running towards the doors. Chelsea Cunningham was the only one of them to hesitate at first, giving Batgirl something of a dirty look mixed with a grateful smile, before joining the other teens' exodus. Aside from Coba, Nightwing was the only one to notice Chelsea's behavior, and was a little bit surprised when Coba shrugged dismissively. "Someone you know?" he inquired quietly once the teens were out of earshot.

"Yep," the small teen replied. "She's someone I used to go to school with. She doesn't know that I'm you-know-who, though—" She stopped talking abruptly, turning her head sharply in the opposite direction.

"What is it?" Selina asked concernedly.

"Sean's got Wheeler trapped on the south wall," Coba answered tensely, pointing through a window. "Look!"

Sure enough, on the outer south wall surrounding the ranch, Miller held the evil doctor up by his shirt collar, nearing the edge of the building. Terry immediately took charge of the situation. "Nightwing, you and Catwoman make sure that none of the guards follow the teens. Leave the moment you see cops come in. Batgirl, you and I will—"

"—get Sean and Wheeler," Coba finished, pulling herself out of her small trance.

For once, Terry was relieved to hear his little half-sister finish his sentence. _At least she's not panicking like I thought she would be._

Dick and Selina stayed immobile yet alert as the two young Bats rushed towards the south wall. Coba managed to keep pace with Terry, despite her weak leg. She did not stop to marvel at this rarity, however, for her mind was focused only on stopping Sean before he could do something terrible to Wheeler. _And Heaven knows he will_, she thought glumly.

"Sean, no, please!" Wheeler begged Sean as the psychotic teen held him over the edge of the wall. "Don't do it, please!"

Sean's expression remained cold. "You were going to put me in ISO," he growled. He went to drop Wheeler, who was still whimpering fearfully.

"No!" Batman yelled from a platform a few yards away. Batgirl stood beside him apprehensively.

"Stay out of this!" Sean yelled angrily.

"You made your point," Coba stated as calmly as she could. "This place is crashed, and Wheeler's going to jail."

Miller sneered. "I don't care! The reason I went along with it was because I was hoping that I'd get a chance for this!"

"Don't you get it?" Terry asked irritably. "You helped save everybody. You're a hero now!"

_Wrong words, bro_, Coba thought tensely.

"A _hero_?" Sean began to laugh at this label, finding it humorous to have been called such. His laughter increased until he was no longer in control of his body. He dropped David without fully intending to at that moment. Wheeler screamed as he plummeted to his certain death.

Without a second thought, Coba flew from where she and her half-brother stood. She almost stopped when she took in the full situation: the man from her nightmares was falling from a dangerous height, and would probably attempt to kill her once she caught him. However, she knew that to stop now would result in his death and possibly her own, for she was now directly beneath him. Coba began to feel her anxiety rise again, time seeming to slow down. _"Stay calm, kid,"_ she reminded herself, using Dick's voice in her mind. _"Focus on the task at hand instead of your fear. You must look within you. The courage is in there somewhere."_

At that moment, the girl felt a calm wash over her. _This is for you, Grandfather._ She grabbed Wheeler under his arms and flew over the top of the wall, barely managing to keep from losing control but keeping calm at the same time. She landed on the other side of the wall and set Wheeler down next to her, making sure he was standing up. To her surprise and relief, he was too shocked by what happened to try to attack her.

"Batgirl!"

Brooklyn turned to see Batman fly over the wall and land beside her. He grabbed Wheeler and cuffed his hands behind his back. "What were you thinking?" he asked her without looking at her. "You could've gotten yourself and Wheeler killed if he was too heavy for you!"

"I know, but can we discuss this later when we have a more suitable audience?" Coba asked as calmly as she could, becoming impatient with her half-brother's timing. "Plus, two cops are on their way up here."

Terry managed to stop himself from arguing with her as he heard the police come up the stairs. "Fine," he surrendered. "Let's go."

Without further ado, the two young heroes flew off of the wall, leaving behind the cuffed and shaken psychiatrist for the cops to deal with. The two officers just barely caught sight of their fleeing forms before they grabbed Wheeler and led him down the steps to the police vehicles. Terry and Coba landed after a few moments next to Nightwing and Catwoman, who were waiting for them at the back exit of the ranch by he south wall. The foursome slunk through the forest for a few minutes, going at a moderate pace so Coba could keep up easier, until they came to a stop by the brush where the Wingcycle and Batcycle were coincidentally hidden side by side. Grayson got on the Wingcycle with Coba in the sidecar, leaving Terry and Selina with the Batcycle.

"Better stick with her," Dick told the young Dark Knight. "You never know if she'll try to make a break for it."

Coba noticed Selina's eyes flash with annoyance as Terry reluctantly nodded, the boy obviously peeved about this choice, but neither of them said anything about it. Terry sat behind Selina, feeling a little awkward about it, but did not protest. From what he had heard about Catwoman, it would be better for him to not have his back towards her in case she really was trying to get away from the Batfamily. Without another moment wasted, they turned the vehicles on and drove off into the night.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Well, I don't exactly have much to say other than what was in the chapter.**

_**Good! Then you can shut up!**_

**Don't make me come over there!**

**...**

**That's what I thought. Any-who, there's not much of this story left to go: I'm currently working on the epilogue, which is right after this one. I'm a little sad to see this story come to an end: it may have been exhausting and annoying at times, but it was also really fun. Wait, I should save these words for after the epilogue, shouldn't I? Oh well.**

**Please leave a review in the box below if you'd like to and have a great day! :)**


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